Another Turkish airline has decided to operate flights to Kazakhstan

Created on 14.02.2020 10:36

Corendon Airlines,Turkish airline, plans to open flights from Turkey to Kazakhstan. Therefore, the carrier has applied to Almaty Airport for slots provision from March 31, 2020. Since then, Corendon Airlines plans to operate Antalya - Almaty - Antalya three times a week on a Boeing 737.

Corendon Airlines was established in 2004 and is located in Antalya. It operates flights to 45 countries and 145 airports; it transports about 3 million passengers a year. The carrier operates regular and charter flights for leading European and Asian tour operators, mainly to Turkish popular tourist destinations from Europe.The airline's fleet and its subsidiaries includes a total of 16 Boeing 737-800 and 1 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircrafts.

Nowadays, regular flights between Kazakhstan and Turkey are carried out by several airlines of both countries at once: Air Astana, Scat, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airlines. These companies operate between Nur Sultan, Almaty and Atyrau to Istanbul, Antalya and Bodrum. Previously, Turkish Atlas Global has been operated flights on Antalya – Almaty route, but at the end of 2019, the carrier had financial problems and temporarily has been suspended flights. Perhaps, by this reason, Corendon Airlines are entered in Kazakhstan market.

Previously, in the summer, Turkish airlines operated flights to numerous Kazakhstan cities, but since the summer of 2013, the Civil Aviation Committee has prohibited charter flights to foreign carriers, inviting them to operate regular flights. Since then, several Turkish airlines operate regular flights to Kazakhstan only during the spring-summer navigation period.

It should be noted, from November 1, 2019, Kazakhstan has  introduced an "open skies"mode at Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Shymkent, Aktau, Karaganda, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Pavlodar, Kokshetau, Taraz, Petropavlovsk, Semey airports. The mode provides a removal of restrictions on the number of flights and the fifth degree of air freedom to foreign airlines in areas where Kazakhstan carriers do not operate. The "open skies" mode is valid for 3 years with a possibility of further extension. This action also implies flights of foreign airlines through  Kazakhstan cities to cities of third countries. The new mode would allow to increase a transit potential of Kazakhstan and improve a transit traffic through airports. On March 30, Qatar Airways will operate flights from Doha to Nur Sultan , and on April 1, 2020 will launch flights to Almaty.

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