Kazakhstan’s flag carrier Air Astana has taken delivery of its second Airbus A321LR.
Along with its first Airbus A321LR aircraft, which was delivered in September 2019, the newest aircraft will operate on routes to London, Paris, Moscow and Istanbul, said the airline.
The carrier said last year that it will launch its new service between Paris CDG and Almaty in June 2020, using one of its new Airbus A321 LR aircraft. A spokesperson from Air Astana told Business Traveller that it will fly one of its Airbus A321LRs between Nur-Sultan and London from the end of March this year.
A spokesperson from Air Astana confirmed with Business Traveller Asia-Pacific that the airline’s first A321LR has primarily been operated on services to Moscow, but other destinations have included Frankfurt and Istanbul.
Air Astana’s CEO Peter Foster said in an interview last year that Shanghai and Singapore are possible destinations in the Asia-Pacific region for the A321LRs. Other potential routes include Prague, Mumbai and either Jeddah and/or Medinah in Saudi Arabia.
Air Astana’s Airbus A321LR aircraft are configured with 16 business class seats and 150 economy class seats. The lie-flat business class seats are equipped with individual 16-inch screens, with four of 16 seats offering additional personal space. Economy class features Recaro seats with individual 10-inch screens.
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific got a first look at the carrier’s first A321LR at the Nursultan Airport in October last year.
The airline said it is also scheduled to take delivery of three new Airbus A320neos in the next few months, with all aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney engines.
Air Astana currently operates 19 Airbus aircraft, including eight A320s, two A321s, three A320neo, four A321neo and two A321LR, with “another nine Airbus aircraft scheduled for delivery in the coming years”. The narrow-body planes are expected to replace the airline’s fleet of Boeing 757 jets, which it has flown since 2003.
The carrier began regular flights in May 2002 and now operates on a network of 60 international and domestic routes from hubs in Almaty and Nur-Sultan.
