With Russia Closed, Kazakh Airline Faces Long Slog to Europe
- Air Astana flights 20% longer; some London trips must refuel
- CEO Foster says plan to add more Airbus jets remains intact
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Kazakhstan’s Air Astana pledged to stick with expansion plans despite suffering extreme disruption to its routes and travel times following the invasion of Ukraine.
The state-owned company will focus on domestic growth and Asian services after the shuttering of Russian airspace added 90 minutes to trips to Frankfurt and Amsterdam, boosting the flight time by 20%, and forced London-bound jets to refuel en route, Chief Executive Officer Peter Foster said in an interview.