Kazakhstan seeks to amend accreditation rules for foreign airlines

Photo: CentralAsia+Aero

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport of has proposed amendments to the accreditation procedure for foreign airlines. The draft amendments, published by the ministry last week, introduce an additional requirement: obtaining an opinion from the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (AAK) regarding the applicant airline’s compliance with flight safety standards.

Established in 2019, the AAK serves as an independent oversight body for civil aviation in this Central Asian nation.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the AAK’s role is being enhanced to address findings made by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during its preliminary International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA). This assessment was conducted in August 2024 as part of preparations to launch passenger flights from Kazakhstan to the United States.

National flag carrier Air Astana plans to launch flights to New York once it takes delivery of long-haul Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The airline expects its first two widebodies of this type in the autumn of this year. However, to operate non-stop flights to the US, the carrier will need to obtain permission to use Russian airspace, which it has avoided flying through since 2022.