Air Astana Aims to Increase Flight Frequency for KL-Almaty Route

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s national carrier, aims to increase its flight frequency from Kuala Lumpur to Almaty daily from the current three times weekly, soon, said its Southeast Asia and Oceania regional general manager Balachandran Chinna Swami. He said this was due to the positive response from passengers of the route and greater acceptance from the Malaysian travel industry. “Although we are a very young fleet, we are proud to say that we have won the Skytrax World Airline Awards’ best airline in Central Asia and India for six consecutive years,” he told Bernama after attending the Air Astana Agent Appreciation Night here, Thursday. About 50 representatives from their respective travel agencies, including POTO Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd and Koperasi Tenaga Nasional Berhad Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, were honoured at the event. On the airline’s plan for next year, Balachandran said they are focusing on the 2018 World Cup football tournament that is slated to be held in Russia. “We have the best connection in Central Asia and we are looking forward to bringing passengers from Malaysia to witness the 2018 World Cup,” he said. Balachandran said Air Astana operates flights to over 60 domestic and international destinations, including eight cities in Russia. -- BERNAMA