Urumqi-Aktau International Passenger Route Launched in Xinjiang, China

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On June 27, the international passenger route from Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, to Aktau, Kazakhstan, was officially launched. This is the first direct international passenger route to Kazakhstan's Caspian Sea coast, operated by FlyArystan using an A320 aircraft, with one flight each on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The one-way flight duration is approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes. The opening of this route will fully leverage the unique geographical and resource advantages of Urumqi and Aktau, providing a convenient channel for economic, trade, and cultural tourism exchanges.

Aktau, located on the northern coast of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan, is a key energy hub and open port city in western Kazakhstan. The region is rich in natural resources such as oil, gas, and minerals, hosting numerous multinational energy companies, and serves as a vital center for energy production, storage, and trade along the Caspian Sea. Additionally, the area boasts unique coastal landscapes and Gobi geological features, offering outstanding cultural tourism resources and positioning it as a promising regional coastal tourism hub.

The successful launch of the Urumqi-Aktau route marks the accelerated implementation of the "New Kazakhstan Express" series proposed at the Third Urumqi International Aviation Hub Construction Conference. This route fills the gap in air travel between western China and Kazakhstan, improves the comprehensive air connectivity network across the two countries, further unleashes the radiating advantages of Urumqi as an international aviation hub, and establishes a stable aerial bridge for deepening bilateral cooperation in multiple fields.

Currently, Urumqi and Yining in Xinjiang, China, are connected to four cities in Kazakhstan—Almaty, Astana, Shymkent, and Aktau—with a total of six international passenger routes and 42 weekly flights, continuously densifying the "New Kazakhstan Express" air network.

In the next phase, Xinjiang Airport Group will continue to advance the expansion of the "New Kazakhstan Express," upgrade airport service guarantees, and enhance Urumqi's aviation radiating capacity toward Central and West Asia. Leveraging the increasingly comprehensive international route network, it will deepen trade exchanges, industrial collaboration, and cultural tourism visits between China and Kazakhstan, promoting substantive and in-depth bilateral practical cooperation and providing solid aviation support for the high-quality development of the Silk Road Economic Belt.