Air Astana proclaims 2022 as its best year ever

Air Astana has announced that 2022 has been its best year ever, with the group reporting a profit after tax of US$78.4 million – 115% higher than 2021. 

Revenue and passenger numbers were also very high, with revenues of US$1.03 billion and 7.35 million passengers being 36% and 11% higher, respectively, than last year. This is the highest all three metrics have been in the airline’s 20-year history.

Peter Foster, President and CEO, stated that the group had “significantly exceeded expectations” in spite of political unrest in Kazakhstan in January and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.

Foster also commented on the performance of its low-fare carrier, FlyArystan, which has grown by 366% since its first year in 2019. “It has a great future, as this region probably has the fastest-growing low-cost air travel market in the world today,” he said.

However, the CEO warned of headwinds for 2023. This includes supply chain limitations, technical reliability issues with the PW1000 engines, and inflation pressures.

The Air Astana Group now operates a fleet of 43 aircraft, comprising 35 Airbus A320/A321 family aircraft, three Boeing 767s and five Embraer E2s.