LCC FlyArystan to expand international network from Aktau to seven routes

Image: FlyArystan

Kazakhstan’s low-cost carrier FlyArystan, a subsidiary of Air Astana Group, is expanding its international network from its western regional hub in Aktau (IATA: SCO). The airline will resume scheduled flights to Istanbul on October 22, followed by the planned launch of direct services to Yerevan on December 16.

Both routes—connecting Aktau with Turkey’s largest city and the Armenian capital—will operate twice weekly.

With these additions, FlyArystan’s international network from Aktau will reach seven destinations by year-end, joining existing services to Kutaisi, Baku, Dubai, Batumi, and Urumqi. As a result, the carrier’s international network from the hub will outnumber its domestic footprint, which currently spans six cities (Almaty, Astana, Aktobe, Atyrau, Uralsk, and Shymkent).

FlyArystan emphasized Aktau’s strategic importance as a pivotal logistics hub in western Kazakhstan. The city serves as the administrative center of the Mangystau region and functions as the primary maritime gateway for the nation’s oil and gas sector.

Aktau International Airport is currently managed by the Turkish conglomerate YDA Holding.

FlyArystan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Astana, operating under its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and independent two-letter IATA code. The budget carrier operates a fleet of 28 Airbus A320-family narrowbody aircraft across three primary bases: Almaty, Astana, and Aktau.