Air Astana and Japan Airlines share new Almaty-Tokyo service

Sometimes a new airline partnership makes so much sense that you wonder why it doesn’t exist yet. Yesterday, that feeling was there again when Air Astana and Japan Airlines announced a codeshare agreement that will allow both airlines to use their respective codes on a new route from Kazakhstan to Japan and on domestic flights.

That makes sense

Air Astana has made great strides during the pandemic and Central Asia was one of the first airlines in the world to exceed pre-pandemic capacity levels. The Kazakhstan-based airline, which is now listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, the Astana International Exchange and the London Stock Exchange, has strategically expanded its network, as CEO Peter Foster noted yesterday:

“Our collaboration with Japan Airlines is an exciting development that will enrich our international network and provide our customers with more travel options. We look forward to providing passengers with a seamless travel experience between Kazakhstan and Japan.”

Photo: Air Astana

The announcement revealed that Air Astana will launch a new route from Almaty to Tokyo in spring 2026, marking the start of the codeshare partnership. The deal includes Air Astana routes from Almaty to Tokyo and from Almaty to Astana and Atyrau, while Japan Airlines’ codeshare routes will run from Tokyo to Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka and Okinawa.

Image: JAL

Air Astana and Japan Airlines (JAL) said that details of routes and flight schedules may change during the integration of both airlines’ scheduling and ticketing systems. The agreement with JAL significantly improves connections between Kazakhstan and Japan for leisure and business travelers and promotes the movement of people and goods between the two countries.

A time of growth

In 2022, Japan and Kazakhstan celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, as Mitsuko Tottori, CEO of JAL Group, noted yesterday:

“We are pleased to cooperate with such a respected partner as Air Astana. By developing passenger and cargo traffic, we will contribute to further improving the diplomatic relations between Japan and Kazakhstan, which have lasted more than 30 years.”

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

As of March, Japan Airlines had a fleet of 227 aircraft and, together with other JAL Group airlines and partners, offers an extensive network of 384 destinations in 66 countries/regions. The new codeshare agreement was officially signed by (l-r) Atsuyuki Agawa, Vice President of Industry Relations and Strategy at JAL, and Peter Foster, CEO of Air Astana Group.

Photo: Air Astana

The Air Astana Group, which also owns low-cost carrier FlyArystan, operates scheduled, direct and transit flights, as well as cargo, on domestic, regional and international routes in Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Far East, the Middle East, India and Europe. In August, the group put its 56th aircraft into service, with two more to be added by the end of the year, moving closer to its goal of operating 80 aircraft by the end of 2028.

Related

Air Astana makes progress towards net zero emissions by 2050

Air Astana has co-financed a comprehensive study to develop sustainable aviation fuel production in Kazakhstan.

The most recently delivered new aircraft was an Airbus A320neo with a two-class configuration and 148 seats, including 16 business class and 132 economy seats. This delivery was the 50th Airbus aircraft in the Air Astana Group fleet and the introduction of new A320neos helps mitigate durability issues of the Pratt & Whitney GTF engines that have kept aircraft grounded.

Within the group, FlyArystan has an all-Airbus fleet of 23 aircraft, including 13 A320-200s and ten new generation A320neos. Air Astana has 33 aircraft, including nine A320neos, 16 A321neos, two A321-200s, three Boeing 767-300s and three Embraer E190-E2 regional jets, with the average age of the fleet being a remarkable five years.