Kazakhstan’s flag-carrier Air Astana has officially put its inaugural flights to Cyprus on sale, creating the first nonstop air bridge between Central Asia and the island republic. Beginning 2 June 2026 the airline will operate twice-weekly Astana–Larnaca services, followed on 4 June by twice-weekly Almaty–Larnaca rotations. All flights will run through early September with Airbus A321LR aircraft configured for 166 seats, including a lie-flat business-class cabin popular with corporate flyers.
The seasonal schedule is primarily aimed at leisure traffic—Kazakh tourists have surged since Kazakhstan abolished visas for Cypriot passport holders in 2024—but it also plugs a conspicuous gap in Cyprus’ global-mobility map. Energy companies active in both the Caspian and East-Med basins, as well as financial-services groups that relocated compliance teams to Nicosia after EU sanctions on Russia, gain a one-stop alternative to time-consuming transfers via Istanbul or Dubai.
![Air Astana Opens Ticket Sales for First Direct Kazakhstan–Cyprus Services]()
For travelers wondering about entry requirements, VisaHQ can streamline every step by outlining Cyprus visa options, documentation checklists, and real-time policy updates in a single dashboard. Whether you’re applying for a tourist stamp, a digital-nomad permit, or supporting paperwork for a short-term project, the service’s dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) lets you submit forms online and track approvals from Kazakhstan—or anywhere else—without the usual bureaucracy.
From a labour-mobility perspective, the route facilitates short-term project assignments in construction, ship-management and higher education. Kazakh tech talent attracted by Cyprus’ digital-nomad visa can now reach the island in under six hours door-to-door, while Cypriot universities courting Central-Asian students can offer parents a same-day return trip option.
The Ministry of Transport welcomed the move as proof that its ‘Open Skies 2030’ policy—waiving capacity caps for carriers from countries that reciprocate—can diversify source markets beyond Russia and Western Europe. If forward bookings hold, Air Astana is expected to extend operations into the winter season and may explore Paphos as a second Cypriot gateway.
The seasonal schedule is primarily aimed at leisure traffic—Kazakh tourists have surged since Kazakhstan abolished visas for Cypriot passport holders in 2024—but it also plugs a conspicuous gap in Cyprus’ global-mobility map. Energy companies active in both the Caspian and East-Med basins, as well as financial-services groups that relocated compliance teams to Nicosia after EU sanctions on Russia, gain a one-stop alternative to time-consuming transfers via Istanbul or Dubai.
For travelers wondering about entry requirements, VisaHQ can streamline every step by outlining Cyprus visa options, documentation checklists, and real-time policy updates in a single dashboard. Whether you’re applying for a tourist stamp, a digital-nomad permit, or supporting paperwork for a short-term project, the service’s dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) lets you submit forms online and track approvals from Kazakhstan—or anywhere else—without the usual bureaucracy.
From a labour-mobility perspective, the route facilitates short-term project assignments in construction, ship-management and higher education. Kazakh tech talent attracted by Cyprus’ digital-nomad visa can now reach the island in under six hours door-to-door, while Cypriot universities courting Central-Asian students can offer parents a same-day return trip option.
The Ministry of Transport welcomed the move as proof that its ‘Open Skies 2030’ policy—waiving capacity caps for carriers from countries that reciprocate—can diversify source markets beyond Russia and Western Europe. If forward bookings hold, Air Astana is expected to extend operations into the winter season and may explore Paphos as a second Cypriot gateway.
