The global air cargo market is showing steady growth. According to IATA, in April 2025, the volume of international cargo transportation increased by 6% compared to the same period last year. Kazakhstan is also actively developing the aviation industry: the Civil Aviation Committee regularly reports on new international negotiations, signing of agreements and participation in specialised forums. These initiatives are aimed at strengthening cooperation with foreign partners and creating additional opportunities for expanding the reach of air transportation.
The list of international destinations is expanding
After an active May, when Shymkent airport became the leader in new international routes, other cities are picking up the baton in June:
Air Astana will start operating flights:
Almaty - Frankfurt from June 1
Almaty - Abu Dhabi from June 3
Almaty - Da Nang from June 4
Fly Arystan will open:
Karaganda - Istanbul from June 4
Modernisation of Astana airport
In mid-May, the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Terminals Astana Airport Limited discussed investments of over $1 billion in the development of the capital's airport. It is planned to build a second runway, a third passenger terminal and a cargo terminal.
Modernisation of the infrastructure opens up new opportunities to speed up cargo handling on current routes and to launch new routes.
Resumption of flights from India
The escalation of the regional conflict between India and Pakistan in early May led to a temporary suspension of direct flights to Kazakhstan. IndiGo has not yet resumed flights from Delhi to Almaty, but Air Astana aircraft on the Delhi-Almaty and Mumbai-Almaty routes have already resumed flights according to the previous schedule.
Air Astana's direct flights from India are suitable for transporting small batches of urgent and temperature-sensitive cargo, thanks to their high speed.
The cost of transporting general cargo Mumbai-Almaty started from 2.7 USD/kg
The cost of transporting general cargo Delhi-Almaty started from 3.5 USD/kg
Middle East and Russia: changes in the schedule
In early June, Aeroflot's wide-body, twice weekly Almaty-Moscow flight remains in the schedule. Please note that there may be delays in departure/arrival on this route.
With the end of the tourist season in the Middle East, the only wide-body flights on the Dubai-Almaty route of Air Astana have been removed from the schedule. However, a new carrier is starting to operate flights from Abu Dhabi Airport. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will fly to Almaty three times a week in June using the Airbus A321.
Summer schedule on the European route
The summer season has opened on the European route. From June 20, Neos will operate the Milan-Almaty route using a wide-body Boeing B787.
Wide-body Neos flights depart from Milan on Fridays and Sundays - this is a reliable solution, being a direct flight, with the opportunity to pick up cargo at the beginning of the working week.
The cost of transporting general cargo Milan-Almaty starts from 2 EUR/kg
Flight loads increased briefly at the end of May. Cargo capacities in June are stable, a significant increase in demand is not expected during the month.
Air transportation from China
The capacity of flights from China at the beginning of June is also slightly affected by Chinese holidays. The delay for loading does not exceed one week. Rates remain at the same level.
The cost of transporting general cargo on the Beijing - Almaty route is from 1.4 USD/kg.
The road transport market continues to grow in 2025, and with it, Kazakhstan's role as a key player in the Chinese direction is growing.
According to the Ministry of Transport, since the beginning of the year, the volume of import-export transportation has increased by 16%. At the same time, the share of Kazakhstani carriers reached a record 54%, which is 23% more than three years ago.
Transportation from China
The queues at the border between China and Kazakhstan continue to grow, which affects delivery times. In June, the average transit time is expected to increase to one week, greater than the first half of the month.
Current status of queues at the main border crossings:
Dostyk - Alashankou - queue booking at least a month in advance, paid booking 2 weeks in advance
Altynkol - Khorgos - queue booking at least a month in advance, paid booking 2 weeks in advance
Bakhty - Tachen - queue booking 3 weeks in advance, paid booking 2 weeks in advance
Maikapchigai - Zimunai - queue booking 2-3 weeks in advance
Price dynamics:
The cost of road transportation remains stable.
Average rate: $8,000/ trailer tent (route Shanghai - Almaty).
Transportation from Europe
The market in the European direction remains stable by the beginning of June. Transit time on the Southern route is gradually decreasing.
Northern route (via Russia):
Stable cost: €6,500 for a direct tarpaulin semi-trailer (Germany - Kazakhstan).
There are no queues to leave the EU, the average time to cross the border is 6 hours.
Southern route (via the Caspian):
Average cost: €9,000/ trailer tent (with transshipment via the Caspian Sea)/
Waiting for Alyat-Kuryk ferry - up to 2 weeks.
US-China trade restrictions: The expiration of the 90-day suspension of increased tariffs between the US and China in early July, is causing a rush among importers to complete shipments before high tariffs are likely to return.
Red Sea: The situation with shipping security in the Red Sea remains in limbo. The threat of attacks on commercial vessels by the Houthi group is still relevant, but there have been no new incidents or progress in resolving the crisis recently.
In this regard, rates for sea transportation on global routes are growing in June. Thus, rates for a 40-foot container on the China-US route increased from $3,500 to $6,500 by June 1. The market expects a further increase to $8,500 by the middle of the month. The increase in the cost of sea freight could impact other modes of transport this summer, particularly road transport.