# Almaty International Airport

Almaty International Airport (IATA: ALA, ICAO: UAAA) is an international airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is larger than Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ) in Astana and is the main international gateway into the country. It is a principal hub of Air Astana, the national flag carrier, as well as other domestic and international airlines. The airport plays role in connecting Almaty to the rest of the country and the broader region through its extensive transport links.
In 2023, Almaty International Airport handled a record 9,547,136 passengers, cementing its status as the busiest airport in Kazakhstan. In 2022, it served 7.2 million passengers, with 63% traveling on domestic routes and 37% on international flights. Additionally, the airport managed 88,400 tonnes of cargo in 2022, making it the largest airport in the country in terms of cargo volume. As of 2024 it is the busiest airport in Kazakhstan and 6th busiest in the Post-Soviet states.
The airport is registered under name of "JSC Almaty International Airport", which is owned by Turkish airport company TAV Airports Holding.

## Location

The airport is located approximately 8.1 NM (15.0 km; 9.3 mi) to the north-east of central Almaty, on the outskirts of the city. It is bordered by a mix of open land and residential settlements. The airport is located north of the settlement of Guldala, and north-east of other city districts, including Tbilisskaya and Kolhozshy, all of which lie within the wider region of Almaty.

## History
### Early years

The airport was built in 1935 for the use of small civil and military aircraft. Till 1990, it was the part of Kazakh Department of Civil Aviation, and then reorganized into "Alma-Ata Airport" in 1991. Since 1993, it has run as an independent business unit. In 1994, it was reorganized into OJSC "Almaty Airport" and later renamed to JSC Almaty International Airport.
The supersonic transport (SST) Tupolev Tu-144 began service on 26 December 1975, flying mail and freight between Moscow and Alma-Ata in preparation for passenger services, which commenced in November 1977. The Aeroflot flight on 1 June 1978 was the Tu-144's 55th and last scheduled passenger service.
Following a runway reconstruction in 1998, Almaty airport was awarded a CAT II certificate and the status of an international airport.
On 9 July 1999, a fire started in the shashlik kitchen of the airport restaurant. The terminal building burned down in just a few hours, but without major injuries.

### Development since 2000

Construction of a new terminal was completed in 2004. On 30 September 2008, a second runway was opened with the first departure being a BMI flight bound for London Heathrow. The new runway was also given an ICAO certificate for CAT III landings which will significantly reduce the number of planes diverting to nearby airfields due to low visibility, especially during the winter months. The runway is the longest in central Asia. The new runway can accept all types of aircraft without limitation of take-off weight and operation frequency.
Growth in connectivity is in danger of being compromised by airport infrastructure that is comparatively expensive and not keeping pace with demand growth. IATA is urging the Kazakhstan government to follow ICAO principles and eliminate differential ANSP charges between domestic and international carriers. In 2012, it was 18% more expensive to turn around an Airbus A320 in Almaty than at similarly sized airports in Europe. The differential rose to 43% for a Boeing 767.
There were plans to build a new passenger terminal for international flights with six loading bridges and capacity up to 2,500 passengers per hour in the near future. A developed infrastructure complex consisting of a Marriott Hotel, conference halls, business center, shopping center and cinemas were planned to be within this terminal.
To reduce roadway traffic, the new international terminal was sited across the airport from the existing terminal, which was to be retained for domestic flights. However, construction was suspended in 2010 over disagreements with Air Astana, which often used the same aircraft for consecutive international and domestic flights. The airline said this site arrangement would require such flights to switch terminals, which would mandate crossing the runways, hindering efficiency and disrupting flight operations. A German consulting group hired by the airport reached the same conclusions and recommended the construction of a combined terminal for both domestic and international flights. In 2017, airport leaders announced that the partially completed international terminal would be demolished, and a new combined terminal would be built.
On February 17, 2012, in Moscow, at the 32nd session of the Council on Aviation and the Use of Airspace of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), Almaty International Airport was recognized as the best in the CIS and received the prize "For Achievements in the Development of International Airports".
Protesters seized the airport on 5 January during the 2022 Kazakh unrest, halting flights. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that eight members of Kazakh security forces had been killed and the insurgents had hijacked five airplanes, and he appealed to Russian security forces to retake the facility. On 7 January, TASS reported that Collective Security Treaty Organization troops had occupied the airport and restored order.
In May 2022, a proposal was made to Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar by a group of deputies from the People's Party of Kazakhstan to name the airport after Kazakh Soviet communist politician Dinmukhamed Kunaev.
To accommodate new terminal construction, the historic VIP terminal was dismantled in late 2022 with plans to reconstruct it 420 m (1,380 ft) away.
In 2024 June 1st, Terminal 2 at Almaty International Airport was opened, enabling to increase the airport’s capacity to 14 million passengers per year and before long, launch 15 new international routes to 10 countries. It is located just northeast of the first terminal and it exclusively serves international flight. There is a connecting bridge between the two terminal.

## Terminals
### Terminal 1

The main terminal of Almaty International Airport, originally built in 1973 at 2 Mailina Street, was designed by architects V. P. Ishchenko, O. N. Naumova, Y. G. Litvinenko, and Y. I. Sharapov, with engineering contributions from K. Nurmakova and Z. Sukhanova. Recognized as a historical monument in 1979, it served as a significant architectural and operational hub until its destruction by fire on the night of 9–10 July 1999. The fire, which lasted over seven hours, severely damaged key areas, including the restaurant, waiting room, and duty-free shop, rendering the building unusable. It was subsequently delisted as a historical monument in 2010.
The current Terminal 1 of Almaty International Airport was opened on 29 December 2003. Its construction began in 2000, following the fire, and was completed at a cost of $52.3 million. Designed by M. Montakhaev, the new terminal showcases a dynamic roofline complemented by architectural elements such as large lanterns resembling faceted diamonds encased in stained-glass frames. It was designed with a focus on visual appeal from both ground level and aerial perspectives. In December 2012, an additional building dedicated to domestic flights was commissioned, further enhancing the airport's capacity. The pavilion’s first floor is designated for arrivals of local airlines, while the second floor serves as a storage area for domestic flights. Since the opening of Terminal 2, this terminal exclusively serves domestic flights within Kazakhstan.

### Terminal 2

Terminal 2 was opened in June 2024, serving solely international flights. The terminal is located just north-east of its domestic counterpart, connected with an indoor bridge. Terminal 2 is equipped with a security checkpoint, immigration, and duty free shops. In the check-in hall, has a small airport museum, displaying the history of the airport.

### VIP Terminal

The airport’s business terminal, located at 1A Mailina Street, was originally constructed in 1947 by architects B. Zavarzin and G. Elkin, with input from T. Basenov. Rebuilt in 1957 by architect Kapanov, it incorporated national Kazakh architectural elements, giving it a distinctive oriental aesthetic. The building was restored in 1975 by artist V. Senchenko and underwent further major restoration in 2007 while preserving its historical façade. Recognized as a historical and architectural monument in 1979, it was protected by state law. Despite an attempt in 2018 to delist the building from the historical monument registry, public outcry thwarted the plans. However, the terminal was ultimately demolished in October 2022 to make way for a new terminal. A replica of the building is currently being constructed 400 meters southeast of its original location and will serve government delegations.

## Airlines and destinations
### Passenger

The following airlines offer year-round and seasonal scheduled flights to and from Almaty:
| Airlines | Destinations |
| Aeroflot | Moscow–Sheremetyevo |
| Air Arabia | Sharjah |
| AirAsia X | Kuala Lumpur–International |
| Air Astana | Abu Dhabi, Antalya, Aqtau, Aqtöbe, Astana, Atyrau, Baku, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Beijing–Capital, Bishkek, Delhi, Dubai–International, Dushanbe, Frankfurt (begins 1 June 2025), Guangzhou (begins 30 March 2025), Istanbul, Jeddah, London–Heathrow, Malè, Medina, Mumbai (resumes 20 April 2025), Nha Trang (begins 30 March 2025), Oral, Öskemen, Phuket, Phu Quoc, Qyzylorda, Seoul–Incheon, Şymkent, Tashkent, Tbilisi Seasonal: Da Nang (begins 4 June 2025) |
| Air Cairo | Seasonal charter: El Alamein, Sharm El Sheikh |
| AJet | Ankara |
| Asiana Airlines | Seoul–Incheon |
| Azerbaijan Airlines | Baku |
| Azimuth | Mineralnye Vody, Sochi |
| Centrum Air | Tashkent (begins 31 March 2025) |
| China Southern Airlines | Beijing–Daxing, Ürümqi, Xi'an |
| Eastar Jet | Seoul–Incheon (begins 7 April 2025) |
| FlyArystan | Aqtau, Aqtöbe, Astana, Atyrau, Kutaisi, Oral, Pavlodar, Qarağandy, Qostanai, Semei, Şymkent, Türkıstan |
| Flydubai | Dubai–International |
| Flynas | Jeddah |
| Hunnu Air | Ulaanbaatar |
| IndiGo | Delhi |
| Jazeera Airways | Kuwait City |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt |
| Neos | Milan–Malpensa |
| Pegasus Airlines | Antalya, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen |
| Red Sea Airlines | Seasonal charter: Sharm El Sheikh |
| Qatar Airways | Doha |
| Qazaq Air | Astana, Kökşetau, Şymkent |
| Qeshm Air | Tehran–Imam Khomeini |
| Red Wings Airlines | Yekaterinburg |
| Rossiya Airlines | Krasnoyarsk, Saint Petersburg |
| S7 Airlines | Novosibirsk |
| SalamAir | Seasonal: Muscat |
| SCAT Airlines | Aqtau, Aqtöbe, Astana, Atyrau, Jeddah, Jezqazğan, Medina, Moscow–Vnukovo, Öskemen, Petropavl, Sanya, Şymkent, Taraz Seasonal charter: Goa–Dabolim, Nha Trang, Pattaya, Phuket, Phu Quoc, Sharm El Sheikh |
| Somon Air | Dushanbe |
| Sunday Airlines | Seasonal charter: Moscow–Vnukovo, Nha Trang, Phuket, Phu Quoc |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul Seasonal: Antalya |
| Uzbekistan Airways | Nukus, Tashkent |
| Wizz Air | Abu Dhabi |
| Yakutia Airlines | Irkutsk |

### Cargo

| Airlines | Destinations |
| Atlas Air | Amsterdam, Chongqing, Liège, Zaragoza, Zhengzhou |
| Qatar Airways Cargo | Doha, Hong Kong |
| Silk Way West Airlines | Baku, Hong Kong |
| Turkish Cargo | Guangzhou, Istanbul, Macau, Shanghai–Pudong, Shenzhen |

## Statistics
### Annual traffic

Annual passenger traffic :
| Year | Passengers | % change |
| 2010 | 3,000,000 | |
| 2011 | 3,665,538 | 22.2% |
| 2012 | 4,003,004 | 9.2% |
| 2013 | 4,323,224 | 8% |
| 2014 | 4,588,866 | 6% |
| 2015 | 4,905,307 | 6.9% |
| 2016 | 4,878,450 | 0.5% |
| 2017 | 5,640,800 | 15.6% |
| 2018 | 5,686,926 | 1% |
| 2019 | 6,422,721 | 13% |
| 2020 | 3,669,668 | 42.9% |
| 2021 | 6,103,657 | 66.3% |
| 2022 | 7,230,156 | 18.5% |
| 2023 | 9,547,136 | 32.0% |

## Accidents and incidents

* 7 July 1980: Aeroflot Flight 4225, a Tupolev Tu-154B-2, aircraft registration CCCP-85355, crashed shortly after takeoff from Alma-Ata Airport, with the loss of all 156 passengers and 10 crew. Investigators found that the airspeed suddenly dropped because of a downdraft the aircraft encountered during climb out, causing it to stall, crash about 5 km (3.1 mi) from the airport, and catch fire.
* 30 August 1983: Aeroflot Flight 5463, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashed on approach to Almaty after a flight from Chelyabinsk; all 90 passengers and crew died.
* 29 January 2013: SCAT Airlines Flight 760, a Bombardier CRJ-200ER, crashed during a low-visibility approach into Almaty International. All 21 occupants died. Investigators found that during the missed approach necessitated by the inclement weather, the elevator was deflected to lower the nose instead of raising the nose, resulting in a steep dive and impact with the ground; they were unable to determine the cause of the elevator movement but did not find evidence of any system malfunction or external influences.
* 27 December 2019: Thirteen people died when Bek Air Flight 2100, a Fokker 100, en route to Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, crashed into a building just after takeoff.
* 13 March 2021: An Antonov An-26 operating for Kazakhstan's Border Service of the National Security Committee crashed on landing; four occupants died and the two survivors reportedly suffered serious injuries. The cause of the accident is under investigation.