Air Astana Takes Delivery of New A320

Air Astana has taken delivery of the last of six new Airbus A320 family aircraft, with the latest aircraft being the third to be equipped with Sharklets and configured in a 16 business class / 132 economy class configuration.

The new fleet was ordered from Airbus during the official visit of Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan, to France in 2008 and has been funded through the airline's own financial resources, without any state funding.

"Air Astana embarked on a major fleet renewal programme five years ago and I'm now delighted that all six of the Airbus A320 family aircraft ordered at that time are now in service. The A320 is a remarkably fuel efficient, reliable, comfortable and safe aircraft, with the latest Sharklet-equipped aircraft bringing further aerodynamic efficiencies, cost savings, and reduced carbon emissions," said Peter Foster, President of Air Astana.

Air Astana commenced regular flight operations on 15 May 2002 and currently operates a network of over 60 international and domestic routes from hubs in Almaty, Astana and Atyrau.

The airline operates a fleet of three Boeing 767-300ER, five Boeing 757-200, twelve Airbus A320 family aircraft and seven Embraer E-190.

Air Astana became the first carrier from Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Eastern Europe to be awarded the prestigious 4-Star rating by Skytrax in its World Airline Awards 2012 and was named The Best Airline in Central Asia and India. Both accolades were repeated in 2013.

See also: Almaty in HD - Video, Astana in HD - Video