Almaty Airport, in Kazakhstan, has just opened a brand-new terminal, which should allow it to increase capacity to more than 14 million passengers per year.
The 53,500 square metre new terminal was built with a $200 million investment from TAV Airports, a Turkish member of the French airport operator group ADP, which manages Paris’ Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Le Bourget airports. With an overall $450 million investment to acquire 85% of the airport, the other 15% belonging to the Kazakhstan Infrastructure Fund, this is the largest private airport investment in Central Asia.
“Two years ago, with my participation, a capsule laying ceremony took place at the construction site, and tomorrow the new terminal of the Almaty International Airport will serve its first flights”, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on a visit to the new terminal ahead of the official opening on 1 June. “Almaty International Airport is the largest airport in the country. The flow of tourists to the southern capital is increasing every year. In 2023, over two million tourists visited the metropolis”, he added, referring to Almaty as the southern capital since it held that status until 30 years ago when the country’s capital was moved to Astana.
Built in 1935, today Almaty is the busiest hub in Central Asia. It served 6.4 million passengers in 2019 and it was among the fastest to recover from the global pandemic. In 2023 it welcomed 9.5 million passengers with a 32% year on year increase. Over the next two weeks, all international traffic at the airport will be moved to the new terminal, the old one remaining a hub for domestic flights, with a bridge connecting the two.
“One of the main transit hubs between Asia and Europe, Almaty Airport is strategically located on the modern Silk Road, established from China to Europe and Africa, as well as the Middle Corridor”, said Serkan Kaptan, CEO of TAV Airports. “Using our extensive know-how and global network, we are boosting air connectivity, creating jobs, and contributing to the sustainable development efforts in Kazakhstan.”
TAV Airports will also bring its service subsidiaries, such as ATÜ Duty Free to manage shops spanning a total of 3,400 square metres. Moreover, TAV Technologies implemented its IT solutions across the terminal, including e-gates for a seamless passenger flow.
As part of the operator’s sustainability strategy, the new terminal is designed and built to be certified under International Finance Corporation’s Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) program, which recognizes environmentally friendly buildings. Overall, TAV Airports aims to reach carbon-neutrality by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.
