On September 23, 2026, low-cost carrier FlyArystan operated its first direct flight on the Almaty–Chongqing (China) route. This is the airline's fourth destination in China, following Urumqi, Yining (Kulja) and Xi'an.
Flights operate twice weekly: — Almaty → Chongqing: Wednesdays and Saturdays — Chongqing → Almaty: Thursdays and Sundays
Flight time is approximately 5 hours. Tickets start at 92,000 tenge one-way (per FlyArystan's own launch-day announcement; the route's July 2026 announcement had cited fares from 96,000 tenge).
FlyArystan President and CEO Johan Eidhagen said Chongqing meets all the airline's criteria for launching a route — a major Chinese megacity that previously lacked direct air service with Kazakhstan.
For B2B audiences: expanding FlyArystan's China network to four destinations reinforces Air Astana Group's strategy of capturing a growing share of Kazakhstan–China traffic (the group's capacity to China grew 81% in summer 2026). Tour operators and logistics companies should note Chongqing as a new gateway to southwestern China, previously accessible only via connections.