Kazakhstan's Deputy Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev said on 20 October 2026 at ICAO Aviation Security Week in Astana that a feasibility study and design-estimate documentation are being prepared for the capital's new airport, and survey work is under way.
What is known
About a month before the statement, the Astana akimat, the Ministry of Transport and the management of Singapore's Changi airport signed a cooperation memorandum on the project. We reported on this partnership earlier.
Lastayev said the authorities want to start as soon as possible in order to renew the infrastructure. He also noted that construction of mega-projects of this kind usually takes five years or more. This is an estimate of the timeframe for projects of this scale, not an approved date for the new airport to open.
What has not been announced
The airport's capacity, location, budget, funding sources, contractor, and start and opening dates have not been named. The status of the document with Changi is described differently in reports: a cooperation memorandum; its text has not been published.
Our assessment: the project is at the pre-design stage: a feasibility study, documentation and surveys are not the same as a decision to build. Construction and commissioning have not been announced. This is flycentralasia's conclusion, not a statement by the Ministry of Transport or Changi.
What businesses can do. Consultants, designers and survey companies can follow procurement for the feasibility study and design. Investors and development banks can assess the format of participation once the study is published. Airlines and service providers can bear in mind that the existing Astana airport remains the basis for planning for the next several years.