Astana International Airport

History

Astana's first airfield was built in 1931 on the outskirts of the town and was developed further after World War II. However, a new airport, which became Astana international Airport, was built 11 miles to the south of the city and opened in November 1963. It was largely used by Aeroflot and its local directorate. Following the transfer of the capital from Almaty to Astana in December 1997, the airport underwent a series of major reconstructions which brought it up to international standards, including the current 11,484 ft (3,500m) runway. A new passenger terminal designed by the late Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa was opened in February 2005.

During 2015, traffic increased to 3,366,560 passengers.

Terminals

There is one terminal which is divided into two sectors – A and B. A is for international flights and B is for domestic. No need to be confused with the check-in counter sectors (B – for Air Astana flights only, A – for other carriers).

New Terminal (Under Construction)

A new terminal is currently being constructed, planned for completion in March 2017. Plans for the new terminal show 5-6 new departure gates to compliment the gates in the existing terminal building. With the new terminal open, passenger capacity should increase to 7.5 million per year.