The Deputy Ministry of Tourism has confirmed that Air Astana will inaugurate the first-ever non-stop flights between Kazakhstan and Cyprus in early June 2026, linking Larnaca with both Astana and Almaty twice weekly. The move opens a new Central-Asian market for Cypriot tourism and offers Kazakhstan-based energy, mining and tech companies a faster route to the EU. (cyprus-mail.com)
Each city pair will see two rotations per week—Astana on Tuesdays and Saturdays, Almaty on Thursdays and Sundays— operated by Airbus A321neo aircraft equipped with lie-flat business-class seats. Flight time is just under five hours, shaving at least three hours off current one-stop routings via Istanbul or Doha.
For Cypriot employers, the service simplifies short-term assignment planning under the 90/180-day Schengen-style visa waiver available to Kazakh nationals holding multiple-entry Schengen visas. It also provides Kazakh investors and high-net-worth individuals exploring the Cyprus permanent residency and ‘Fast-track Business Activation’ schemes with a direct gateway.
![Historic Kazakhstan–Cyprus Direct Flights to Launch in June]()
VisaHQ’s online platform can streamline the paperwork for Kazakh travelers and Cypriot companies alike—whether it’s securing a multiple-entry Schengen visa, arranging a Cyprus work permit or exploring residency pathways. The dedicated Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) offers up-to-date entry rules, document checklists and real-time application tracking, making it a convenient one-stop resource as passenger volumes on the new routes ramp up.
Tourism officials expect an initial 18,000 inbound visitors in the first 12 months, worth €22 m in direct spend. Limassol-based shipping and offshore-services firms, many of which crew vessels with Central-Asian officers, will also benefit from quicker crew-change logistics.
The flights arrive as Cyprus intensifies efforts to diversify source markets amid geopolitical turbulence in Israel and the Eastern Mediterranean, underscoring the importance of route development to the island’s global-mobility ecosystem.
Each city pair will see two rotations per week—Astana on Tuesdays and Saturdays, Almaty on Thursdays and Sundays— operated by Airbus A321neo aircraft equipped with lie-flat business-class seats. Flight time is just under five hours, shaving at least three hours off current one-stop routings via Istanbul or Doha.
For Cypriot employers, the service simplifies short-term assignment planning under the 90/180-day Schengen-style visa waiver available to Kazakh nationals holding multiple-entry Schengen visas. It also provides Kazakh investors and high-net-worth individuals exploring the Cyprus permanent residency and ‘Fast-track Business Activation’ schemes with a direct gateway.
VisaHQ’s online platform can streamline the paperwork for Kazakh travelers and Cypriot companies alike—whether it’s securing a multiple-entry Schengen visa, arranging a Cyprus work permit or exploring residency pathways. The dedicated Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) offers up-to-date entry rules, document checklists and real-time application tracking, making it a convenient one-stop resource as passenger volumes on the new routes ramp up.
Tourism officials expect an initial 18,000 inbound visitors in the first 12 months, worth €22 m in direct spend. Limassol-based shipping and offshore-services firms, many of which crew vessels with Central-Asian officers, will also benefit from quicker crew-change logistics.
The flights arrive as Cyprus intensifies efforts to diversify source markets amid geopolitical turbulence in Israel and the Eastern Mediterranean, underscoring the importance of route development to the island’s global-mobility ecosystem.
