Air Astana and China Southern Airlines have signed a joint venture agreement. The agreement was signed on 30 October and disclosed on 2 November. It is the first aviation partnership of its kind between Kazakhstan and China.
The agreement covers schedule coordination, expanded codeshare, joint marketing and better connections between the two airlines' flights.
The partnership builds on a growing market. According to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport, the two countries operate 117 scheduled flights a week on 21 routes, 52% more than in the same period of 2025. More than 1 million passengers have been carried since the start of 2026.
Air Astana operates up to 36 weekly round trips in peak season, and China Southern up to 29.
For passengers, this means easier connections and a combined offer from two networks. For Kazakhstan, it is a chance to strengthen its role as a transit route between China and Europe.
Our assessment: the agreement moves the two carriers from ordinary codeshare to coordinated network operations. If schedules are aligned, the main gain will be connections via Almaty and Astana. This is the view of flycentralasia.