Asiana Airlines launches service to Astana

Asiana Airlines CEO Kim Soo-cheon, center, poses with Yamamura Akiyoshi, second from left, vice president, Han Hyun-mee, sixth from left, executive vice president, and other Asiana's pilots and cabin attendants at the departure hall, Incheon International Airport, on Aug. 8. / Courtesy of Asiana Airlines

By Chung Ah-young

Asiana Airlines, the nation’s second largest carrier, has launched a nonstop flight between Incheon (Seoul) and Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan. This route is expected to strengthen the carrier’s network in Central Asia.

The carrier held a special ceremony to mark its first flight to Astana on Aug. 8, in the passenger terminal at Incheon International Airport, attended by Asiana Airlines President and CEO Kim Soo-cheon.

The carrier flies the Airbus 330-300 aircraft with 290 seats every Saturday. Currently, Air Astana, which shares codes with Asiana Airlines, operates Incheon-Astana route every Tuesday. With Asiana’s new flight, passengers will be able to choose between two flights weekly.

“Through the carrier’s flight launch, more social and economic exchanges between the two countries, including in the medical tourism business, are expected,” an Asiana official said.

“Moreover, the new Incheon-Astana service will allow passengers to and from Central Asia to enjoy a wider variety of flight schedules and itineraries by adding another destination in Kazakhstan besides Almaty where Asiana has been offering a service for nearly 20 years,” the official said.

Astana, the second largest city in Kazakhstan and the host city of EXPO 2017, replaced Almaty as the capital of the country in 1997. As a planned city such as Washington D.C. in the United States, Astana is home to the Presidential Palace, Parliament House and other government offices. Astana is famous for the Bayterek Tower, a symbol of the city, and state-of-the-art, futuristic skyscrapers.