After the Central Asian country's flag airline, Air Astana, flew its first direct trip to the Kingdom on Oct. 5, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan are ready to increase bilateral trade, particularly tourism.
Berik Aryn, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, “Yes, Air Astana has operated the first regular flight from Almaty to Jeddah. It was launched yesterday (Thursday) and was received upon arrival by our consulate team in Jeddah.”
He also stated that flights will be conducted this month on Wednesdays and Sundays, and beginning in November, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. “Hopefully, from the beginning of December, a third frequency on Mondays will be added to the schedule,” said the envoy.
“(Saudi budget airline) Flynas is also planning to operate flights in November from Jeddah,” said Aryn, adding: “We are also trying to operate direct flights from Riyadh.
“We are also in conversation with other airlines here to operate flights between the two countries,” said the envoy. “This is good for further deepening bilateral ties and will encourage tourism and trade flourish between the two countries.”
In December last year, speaking at a roadshow titled “Tourism in Almaty,” organized by the Kazakhstan Embassy in Riyadh, Aryn told that Kazakhstan had relaxed visa requirements for Saudis visiting the Central Asian country, as per arab news.
“From January to September 2022, we witnessed an increase in tourists to Kazakhstan. I would also like to mention the increase in the number of Kazakh citizens who visited Saudi Arabia in 2022, which reached 20,000,” he said at the time.