The introduction of the "Fifth Freedom of the Air" regime in 2019 was a strategic step for Kazakhstan, significantly enhancing the country's transit potential, Kazinform reports.
Speaking in the Majilis, Transport Minister Nurlan Sauranbayev announced that 20 new foreign air carriers have entered the Kazakh aviation market during this period. Currently, 35 foreign companies operate regular flights to and through the country.
One of the most striking indicators of the success of the new policy was the growth in passenger traffic at Almaty Airport, which increased from 7 million to 11 million people per year. The liberalization of airspace has opened the door to flights to major international aviation hubs such as Milan, Doha, Shanghai, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.
The minister emphasized that Kazakhstan's unique geographic location offers the potential to become one of the world's largest transit hubs. "Half the world's population lives within a seven-hour flight radius of us," Sauranbayev noted, pointing to the large-scale prospects for further expansion of the flight geography.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 21, 2026