Direct flights from Kazakhstan to Israel have begun

On Thursday, the national airline of Kazakhstan, Air Astana, began operating direct flights between Tel Aviv and Almaty.

“We anticipate a much more robust, enduring, and fruitful partnership with Israel. The introduction of direct flights between our nations has created many new opportunities, according to Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Israel, Satybaldy Burshakov, who spoke to the Tazpit Press Service.

We believe that this will have a positive impact on expanding trade turnover, strengthening business ties, and increasing cooperation in the fields of tourism and culture,” Burshakov said.

“Every effort is made to maintain interpersonal relationships. Jews play a significant role in Kazakhstani society and have built a strong bridge of friendship between our nations, he continued.

The new service is planned to run twice weekly, on Thursdays and Sundays, between Almaty International Airport, the country’s gateway, and Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport.

For round-trip travel, economy class tickets will cost $603 and business class tickets will cost $1,438. Flights from Tel Aviv take just under six hours to complete, with the return flight taking an additional hour. While Kazakh citizens need a visa to enter Israel, Israeli citizens can now stay there for up to 30 days without one.

The Charyn Canyon, frequently referred to as the Grand Canyon’s “little brother,” the Big Almaty Lake, a charming glacial lake situated in the Tien Shan Mountains, and the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve, the oldest nature reserve in Central Asia, are popular tourist attractions in Kazakhstan.

The Central State Museum, the Zenkov Cathedral, the panoramic views from Kok-Tobe Hill’s summit, and Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, all offer visitors a unique blend of modernity and history. Almaty is also known for its vibrant nightlife.

The iconic Baiterek Tower, the Nur-Astana Mosque, and the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation are three of Nur-Sultan’s top tourist destinations.

Additionally, the new line will make bilateral trade easier. More than 160 joint Israeli-Kazakh business ventures are currently active in Kazakhstan with Israeli investments, according to Ambassador Burshakov’s statement to TPS.

In 1992, shortly after Kazakhstan gained independence following the fall of the Soviet Union, Israel and Kazakhstan established diplomatic ties. In addition to close defense and security cooperation, bilateral ties are concentrated in the fields of education, medicine, agriculture, and technology.

Many Kazakh scientists and farmers have received training in Israel. Kazakhstan’s Jewish community has reemerged following decades of Communist repression of religious life.

Kazakhstan is home to 3,300 Jews, with the largest populations in Astana, Almaty, and Pavlodar.

The biggest synagogue in Central Asia is Beit Rachel in Astana. The Russian, Uzbek, Ukrainian, and Tatar communities, among many others, are among the many religious and ethnic minorities that are tolerated in Kazakhstan, a secular Muslim nation.