BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Turkish airline
SunExpress plans to launch regular flights between Kazakhstan's
Astana and Izmir, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport said.
The new route is expected to operate twice a week, on Wednesdays
and Saturdays, using Boeing 737 aircraft.
The plans were discussed during a meeting between the Chairman
of the Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan's Ministry of
Transport and representatives of SunExpress on September 15.
"The Ministry of Transport is continuously working to expand the
geography of flights and increase the number of services on
existing routes," the ministry said.
In addition, SunExpress plans to increase the frequency of
flights between Almaty and Izmir from two to three per week
starting October 25.
The ministry said the launch of the new route and the increase
in flight frequency are expected to contribute to the further
development of trade, economic, business and tourism cooperation
between Kazakhstan and Türkiye.
On August 13-14, 2026, aviation authorities of Kazakhstan and
Türkiye held talks in Istanbul, resulting in the signing of a new
Memorandum of Understanding on civil aviation aimed at further
strengthening cooperation and expanding air connectivity between
the two countries.
Under the agreements reached, the number of permitted weekly
flights on the main routes - from Istanbul to Astana, Almaty and
Shymkent, and from Ankara to Astana and Almaty - was increased from
76 to 138 for airlines of both countries.
For tourist destinations, including routes from Antalya and
Bodrum to cities in Kazakhstan, the number of permitted weekly
flights was increased from 44 to 86.
As a result, the total number of permitted weekly flights on the
above-mentioned routes increased from 120 to 224.
On all other routes, airlines of both countries are permitted to
operate up to 14 flights per week.
SunExpress is a Turkish airline specializing in scheduled and
charter passenger flights. Founded in 1989, the airline operates a
fleet consisting of Boeing 737 family aircraft.
