18 July 2011
Kazakhstan’s principal airline Air Astana has posted profit before tax of
$36.9 million for the first half of 2011, an increase of 10.4% over 2010. Revenues
rose by 18.7% to $346 million and passenger numbers increased by 16.4%.
The airline’s
president Peter Foster stated that the results were “Satisfactory. Whilst
margin has been affected by fuel price rises of one third, all markets have
continued to strengthen resulting in robust revenue growth”. During the period
Air Astana took delivery of the first two of six Embraer 190s, bringing the
total fleet size to 24. It increased frequencies on all of its central Asian/CIS
routes and launched new flights to Samara in southern Russia and Tbilisi
in Georgia.
“Regional routes in particular have exceeded expectations” Foster stated.
The airline
remains cautious for the year as a whole because of increased fuel costs and
general inflationary pressure. It was recently awarded 2nd Best Airline in Eastern Europe by Skytrax and completed installation of
lie flat seats in the business class cabins of its Boeing 757 fleet. The same
seats will be installed into its Boeing 767s later this year. It obtained EASA
licenses for its new workshop complex at Almaty
Airport, the first of its kind in Central Asia.