Pakistan, Thursday, 13 January 2022 –
Almaty Airport, Kazakhstan's primary aviation hub, reopened on Thursday after being closed for nearly two weeks due to unrest.
According to a statement from TAV Airports, which operates the facility, the airport will initially operate from 8 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. local time.
"We safeguarded the safety of our passengers and personnel by working with Kazakh authorities," TAV CEO Sani Sener stated.
TAV Airports, a well-known Turkish airport operator, took over operations at Almaty Airport in May 2021.
"Flight traffic will swiftly recover as daily life in the country returns to normal," Sener said.
According to the statement, Air Astana, Flydubai, Scat, Qazak Air, and Nordwind airlines all had flights out of the airport on Thursday morning.
Almaty, Kazakhstan's former city, is a vital crossroads in China's vast One Belt One Road project, which aims to establish economic connections between West Asia, Europe, and Africa.
In reaction to protests over rising petrol costs, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced a state of emergency last week.
Later, he asked the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russian-led military bloc, for assistance, and troops were dispatched to quiet the uprising.
In 2021, Almaty Airport, the country's principal hub for national carrier Air Astana, served 6.1 million passengers.
Despite the coronavirus epidemic, passenger traffic swiftly returned, reaching 94% of 2019 levels.
(Research and edit by: The Decision Maker – Asia team in Pakistan)
