Kazakhstan’s principal airline Air Astana has posted profit before tax of $36.9 million for the first half of 2011, an increase of 10.4% over 2010. Revenues rose by 18% to $346 million and passenger numbers increased by 18.7%.
 
The airline’s president Peter Foster stated that the results were “Satisfactory. Whilst margin has been affected by fuel price rises of one third, all markets have continued to strengthen resulting in robust revenue growth”.

During the period Air Astana took delivery of the first two of six Embraer 190s, bringing the total fleet size to 24. It increased frequencies on all of its central Asian/CIS routes and launched new flights to Samara in southern Russia and Tbilisi in Georgia. “Regional routes in particular have exceeded expectations” Foster stated.

The airline remains cautious for the year as a whole because of increased fuel costs and general inflationary pressure. It was recently awarded 2nd Best Airline in Eastern Europe by Skytrax and completed installation of lie flat seats in the business class cabins of its Boeing 757 fleet. The same seats will be installed into its Boeing 767s later this year. It obtained EASA licenses for its new workshop complex at Almaty Airport, the first of its kind in central Asia.