ALMATY, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Air Astana, Kazakhstan's flagship airline, plans to launch a new flight from Almaty to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou at the end of March, the airline's press service said on Monday.
Operated by Airbus A321LR aircraft, the new flights will run three times a week, with departures from Almaty on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and from Guangzhou on Wednesdays, Fridays and Mondays. The first flight from Almaty is expected on March 30.
"China has always been a strategically important market for Air Astana, with strong business and leisure traffic growth since the first service was launched between Astana and Beijing more than 20 years ago," said Peter Foster, chief executive officer of Air Astana.
"The launch of the new service to Guangzhou represents a very significant step in expanding Air Astana's China network," he said.
Air Astana currently operates seven weekly flights to Beijing from Almaty and Astana and four weekly flights to Urumqi from Almaty. Kazakhstan citizens can travel in China for up to 30 days without a visa. ■
