Air Astana eyes international expansion with A321neoLRs

Air Astana is targeting international expansion when it receives all seven of its Airbus A321neoLRs, which are expected to take the Kazakhstan-based carrier to a new level, president and CEO Peter Foster said. Air Astana took delivery of its first leased A321neoLR from Air Lease Corp. Sept. 23. The remaining six aircraft—all powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1133G engines—are expected to join the fleet over the next 15 months. The seven aircraft will replace Air Astana’s current fleet of four Boeing 757-200s and will take over many existing long-haul routes and key regional markets, such as Moscow or Dubai. Foster said the A321neoLR—with a range of seven-and-a-half hours—will enable the carrier to target new routes from its Almaty and Nur-Sultan hubs to Shanghai; Singapore; Prague; Mumbai; Madinah, Jeddah or Tokyo. Soon the aircraft will be deployed on routes such as London Heathrow, Frankfurt or Beijing. “The aircraft’s comfort level is better than the competition offers. It is a powerful weapon,” Foster said.<br/>