BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. Turkish carrier SunExpress is entering Kazakhstan's aviation market with the launch of direct scheduled flights between Almaty and Izmir.
The statement was made by the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan.
"Thus, from July 31 this year, a new foreign carrier from Türkiye, SunExpress, will enter Kazakhstan's air transport market. The airline will launch direct scheduled passenger flights on the Almaty–Izmir route. Flights will operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, using Boeing 737 aircraft," the ministry said.
The ministry expects the launch of the new air service to contribute to the further development of trade, economic, business, investment, tourism, and cultural cooperation between Kazakhstan and Türkiye.
Earlier, the ministry announced that Turkish carrier AJet would increase the frequency of its Astana–Ankara and Almaty–Ankara flights from two to seven per week on each route starting in August.
SunExpress was established in 1989 as a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. The airline is headquartered in Antalya. Another hub is Izmir on Türkiye’s Aegean coast. It also maintains a second headquarters in Gateway Gardens, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
According to Kazakhstan's Bureau of National Statistics, the country's airlines carried 7.4 million passengers in January–June 2026, up 2.6% compared to the same period of 2025. Passenger turnover reached 15.3 billion passenger-kilometers, marking a 7.9% year-on-year increase.
