Aktau airport is set to become a multimodal aviation hub with a cargo capacity of up to 200,000 tons per year. The airport will house maintenance and repair center for aircraft from Central Asian countries and Russia, Orda.kz reports.
To achieve this, Kazakhstan's government plans to modernize terminal infrastructure, build a fueling complex, and upgrade runways.
Aktau airport's key advantage is its geographical accessibility (just a three-hour flight to Europe) and integration with all modes of transport. Companies such as YDA, Turkish Technic, and ASFAT are planning to build aircraft maintenance and repair center there, as well as a training center for aviation specialists.
"The maintenance center will service civilian and military aircraft from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Central Asian countries, including 411 passenger aircraft from Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. As a result of these measures, the airport's cargo capacity will increase to 200,000 tons per year, with an annual turnover of 520 billion tenge ($994 million)," said Kazakhstan's Minister of Transport, Marat Karabayev, during a government meeting in the Majilis.
The Ministry of Transport is paying particular attention to the supply of aviation fuel. Currently, the country's airports rely on imports, leading to unstable supplies. The ministry proposes creating a single operator based on KazMunayGas-Aero LLP.
"This will eliminate inefficient intermediaries, stabilize supplies, and offer affordable aviation fuel prices for transit flights through Kazakhstan by purchasing large volumes," Karabayev added.
Additionally, efforts are underway to digitize cargo transportation processes and introduce special economic zones. These measures aim to speed up cargo handling and make Kazakhstan more attractive for international transit routes.
"The Asia-Europe freight corridor carries 12 million tons of cargo, 1.7 million tons of which pass through Kazakhstan's airspace. Our goal is to capture part of this volume within the country," the Minister of Transport concluded.
