Air Astana signs codeshare agreement with Azerbaijan Airlines

Simple Flying says Air Astana and Azerbaijan Airlines have signed a codeshare agreement for their route between Almaty International Airport and Baku's Heydar Aliyev International Airport. Caliber.Az reprints the article.

Air Astana and Azerbaijan Airlines have signed its latest codeshare agreement, enabling the two airlines to partner on their five-times weekly route between Almaty International Airport (ALA) in Kazakstan and Baku's Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) in Azerbaijan.

With the market blooming between the two nations, the move will deepen ties between the two airlines, which have carved out a market with a range of onward connections at both ends of the route. Air Astana formed its first codeshare agreement with international airlines in 2005. It has steadily expanded its international partnerships with global airlines and its reach with carriers such as Cathay Pacific, KLM, and Turkish Airlines.

Flexibility is key

Flexibility will be key for passengers for both airlines, and the joint partnership on the five weekly services will assist in both airlines' growth plans. Air Astana currently offers 23 year-round destinations from Almaty, in addition to Baku, while in Azerbaijan, up to 45 destinations will be on offer by the end of September, including its resumption to Damman and Riyadh, which both take off from September 16th.

Azerbaijan Airlines currently takes off for Almaty twice a week, shuttling passengers on Tuesday and Friday with its Airbus A319. On the other hand, Air Astana, three services a week, depart on Mondays and Fridays with a mix of the A320 and A321.

Both carriers have cashed in on post-pandemic demand, with the respective carriers introducing a range of new or resumed routes this year. Air Astana looks forward to introducing Israel, with Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport operating from September 7th, alongside Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) in Saudi Arabia on October 1st. Its Jeddah service will complement Saudi carrier flynas, which commences the route between Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan and will launch on September 1st.

Dreamliners are en route

Air Astana is patiently waiting for its fleet renewal, with three Boeing 787 poised to join the fleet through a lease agreement; the success of these entering the airline will take the reigns from its aging 767s, which will be sold when the Dreamliner arrives. While no firm delivery date is set, they are expected to take to the sky for Air Astana by 2025.

Its current pilots for the 767 will be retrained to take the helm of the 787's, which no doubt will be welcomed with open arms by the crew who have noted the challenges in currently operating its aging aircraft.

Air Astana has also revealed that it will withdraw its Embraer E190-E2 aircraft from service starting next year as well, the airline's CEO, Peter Foster, disclosed at a round table attended by Simple Flying earlier this month. The airline currently operates a small sub-fleet of five E2s, ranging in age from just three-to-five years old.