In a sign of the emerging popularity of the low-cost carrier concept and the stimulation of increasing population mobility within and across the Central Asia region, Kazakhstan’s national carrier Air Astana has announced plans to launch the country’s first low-cost carrier (LCC) subsidiary before summer 2019.

• The fleet of the new Kazakh budget airline, which will operate under the brand name FlyArystan, will consist of Airbus A320 aircraft.
• Created by the desire of Kazakhstan’s president Nursultan Nazarbayev to make air travel more affordable for the country’s population, the operator will strictly follow the examples of highly successful airlines.
• In 2019 the airline will operate four aircraft transferred from the fleet of parent Air Astana, with a targeted expansion to at least 15 aircraft by 2022.
• The carrier’s route network details are to be revealed in due course, but FlyArystan plans to start by operating from multiple aircraft bases in Kazakhstan, primarily on domestic routes.
• The FlyArystan project is being financed entirely by Air Astana and will not require capital from shareholders, state subsidies or external financial support of any kind.