BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 3
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
Kazakhstan’s airline companies transported 5.5 million passengers in 2020, which is 36 percent less than in 2019, Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Industry and Infrastructural Development Berik Kamaliyev said, Trend reports citing the ministry.
Kamaliyev made the statement during the collegium meeting of the ministry held on the results of the ministry’s operations in 2020.
The vice minister said that due to the situation related to COVID-19 pandemic, civil aviation turned out to be one of the most affected sectors of the economy. To alleviate these consequences, a package of state support measures for tax breaks was promptly adopted for domestic airlines and airports.
He added that to date, domestic flights on 45 routes have been resumed and air links with 12 countries (Turkey, Korea, United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt, Russia, Maldives, Sri Lanka) have been restored, which were suspended within the anti-COVID restrictions.
On Oct.19, 2020, Kazakhstan’s government decided to take several measures to battle the spread of coronavirus infection in the country.
Thus, the number of flights on international routes will be reduced starting Oct. 26, 2020, taking into account the epidemiological situation in foreign countries. Mandatory PCR testing of all arriving in Kazakhstan (including citizens of Kazakhstan), as well as drivers carrying out bilateral international transportation, will be conducted.
The validity period of the carried out PCR test for those arriving from abroad, including citizens of Kazakhstan, should be no more than 3 days.
The first two cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Kazakhstan among those who arrived in Almaty city from Germany on March 13, 2020.
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