Major Kazakh company eyes to launch direct flights with Israel (Exclusive)

Major Kazakhstan company Air Astana is planning to launch direct air flights on the route Almaty – Tel-Aviv in the medium term, the Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan told Trend.

"No Israel companies made requests to implement such flights as of yet," the source in the committee said.

Recently, Ambassador of Israel to Kazakhstan Liat Wexelman once again proposed to launch direct flights between two countries.

According to the source, currently the companies of two countries have permission to implement a total of seven regular passenger flights and two regular cargo flights between two countries.

"The decision was made during the visit of Prime Minister of Israel to Kazakhstan on December 14, 2016. Then the Minister of Investments and Development of Kazakhstan (currently Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development) and Minister of Agriculture of France of Israel signed a corresponding memorandum of understanding," the source clarified.

"According to the memorandum Kazakhstan’s companies can launch flights to anywhere in Israel, whereas the Israel’s companies cannot implement flights to Kazakh cities Atyrau, Aktau, Aktobe and Uralsk," the source noted.

Currently there are no regular flights between two countries.

The agreement between Kazakhstan and Israel on air communications was signed on August 30, 1995. Ratified by the President of Kazakhstan on January 17, 1996, it was put into force on May 23, 1996.