Air Astana and China Southern Airlines signed a cooperation agreement in Astana on 30 October 2026, described in Air Astana's corporate disclosure as a Joint Venture Agreement. It builds on the carriers' existing codeshare. The document was signed by Richard Ledger, Air Astana's Vice President for Partnerships and Alliances, and Wang Zhen of China Southern. Kazakhstan's Vice Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev and China Southern Executive Vice President Zeng Yongchao spoke at the ceremony.
What it provides
— coordinated schedules and operating days; — expanded codeshare; — joint marketing initiatives.
As stated at the ceremony, the sides may next discuss through-checking of baggage to the final destination and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits. These options depend on further negotiation. According to what was said at the ceremony, the agreement has been approved by Kazakhstan's antimonopoly authority. Ledger stressed that it is a commercial agreement, not a separate company.
Where it starts
According to Ledger, joint work will begin on routes both companies operate. Almaty–Guangzhou and Almaty–Urumqi were named first. In the Almaty–Guangzhou example, Air Astana and China Southern flights operate on Monday 35 minutes apart (departures at 20:40 and 21:15), with no flight the next day. Coordinating schedules is aimed at spreading such slots across days in a way that suits passengers better.
Background: codeshare and market
A codeshare between the two companies was signed in 2025, and sales under shared codes began in June 2026 on Almaty–Beijing, Almaty–Guangzhou, Almaty–Urumqi and Astana–Urumqi, as well as Almaty–Shanghai and Astana–Guangzhou (China Southern flights under the Air Astana code are operated by Air Astana). According to figures given at the ceremony, flights between Kazakhstan and China are up 52% from the same period of 2025, with 117 scheduled flights a week on 21 routes, and more than one million passengers carried since the start of 2026. The disclosure cites up to 36 weekly round-trip flights for Air Astana and up to 29 for China Southern in the peak period; the peak period is not specified. The Ministry of Transport plans to expand the China route network to 30 destinations: this is a ministry plan, not a commitment by the two companies.
What has not been announced
The dates from which schedule coordination will start on each route, the list of routes after the first two, the revenue-sharing form, fare policy, the term of the agreement and the baggage and loyalty terms have not been named. No separate disclosure from China Southern has been published.
Our assessment: after a 52% rise in flights between the countries, the key question for passengers is how they are spread across days and hours. The example of two consecutive departures followed by an empty next day shows why coordination is needed. For the market there is another point: two carriers on shared routes will work as a single network, which changes competition for other players, including FlyArystan and Chinese carriers on routes from Astana. But with no dates or fare terms yet, it is too early to speak about an effect on prices. This is flycentralasia's conclusion, not a statement by Air Astana or China Southern.
What businesses can do. Tour operators and agencies should recheck Almaty–Guangzhou and Almaty–Urumqi schedules after seasonal changes. Airports and ground services in Almaty and Astana should take into account that the two carriers' slots may shift. Competitors on Kazakhstan–China routes should assess how coordinated schedules will affect their frequencies.