On Monday June 27th, the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan announced that flights between the two countries would resume from July 1st after a two-year pause, as reported by the Astana Times.
China has introduced new rules for any Kazakh citizen entering the country. Before departure, passengers must spend 10 days in self-isolation, monitor their health, and sign a letter confirming that the rules have been followed.
According to the Astana Times, passengers are required to take two PCR tests, one within 48 hours, and another one 24 hours before their departure in laboratories recommended by the embassy and the General Consulate in Kazakhstan. They must present a blue health code via the mobile app and a negative antigen test certificate taken at least 12 hours prior to the flight during check-in.
On June 7th, the Interdepartmental Commission on the prevention and spread of coronavirus in Kazakhstan announced that the country will lift the requirement to have a Covid-19 vaccination certificate or negative PCR test certificate for local and foreign citizens seeking to cross the border of Kazakhstan from June 8th on.
The Air Safety Committee of the European Commissions published on June 1st its official verdict concerning aviation authorities and airline companies in Kazakhstan, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development. Aviation authorities of all 27 EU member states have decided not to put any restrictions on Kazakhstan’s airlines that fly to Europe and not to put Kazakhstan on the EU Air Safety List.
The EU Air Safety List not only helps to maintain high levels of safety in the EU, but it also helps affected countries to improve their levels of safety, in order for them to eventually be taken off the list. The List has become a major preventive tool, as it motivates countries with safety problems to act upon them before a ban under the EU Air Safety List would become necessary.
Authorities in Kazakhstan have also announced that the country would resume air travel with Montenegro, Armenia, and Turkey.Air Astana resumed Almaty-Podgorica flights with a frequency of four times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays on June 1st, and Nur-Sultan-Podgorica flights on Thursdays and Sundays on June 5th.
FlyArystan, a local low-cost airline, launched regular flights on the Almaty-Yerevan route on Mondays and Thursdays on June 2 on A320 aircraft. The Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development reported that from June 25th, Turkish Pegasus Airlines would operate flights on the Istanbul-Nur-Sultan-Istanbul route twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays. Domestic flights are operated by five domestic airlines on 57 routes with a frequency of 605 flights per week.
