Private jet to Kazakhstan

The ninth largest country in the world stretches from the Caspian Sea to the Altai, and its business centres lie far apart: Astana to Almaty is about 950 km, and the capital to the oil towns on the Caspian about 1,500 to 1,700 km. A private jet lands in the city where the meeting is, and the main airports work around the clock with border control and customs, so the first landing in the country can be in the capital, in Almaty or straight at the oil fields in the west.

From Europe the aircraft cannot take the straight line, which crosses airspace that European operators do not use. It flies south of it instead, over the Balkans or Romania, the Black Sea, Turkey or Georgia, Azerbaijan and the Caspian. The detour adds about a fifth to the distance to the capital and more to the western oil towns. As a broker, we compare offers from operators that know the route and the permits, from super midsize jets that fly nonstop to heavy jets for delegations.

Name the city of arrival, the dates, the number of passengers and the baggage, and say whether a fuel stop is acceptable; a consultant sends back the aircraft, the routing and the price.

Where private jets land and why

Scheduled travel from most of Europe means a change at a hub in Germany, Turkey or the Gulf, and the domestic connections rarely fit a dense programme. With one aircraft a group can visit the capital and an oil town in a day and a half, provided the domestic sector is cleared in advance, as explained below.

The southern route and the flight times

Block times taken from the tables below, taxi, climb and descent included:

The tables allow for the detour separately for each part of the country. To the capital they add 20 % to the straight line from central and western Europe and 45 % from Scandinavia, the same allowances as on the Astana page. Almaty lies further south, so the detour is smaller there, 10 %. The western oil towns are the nearest on the map but the furthest off the direct line, and the tables add 30 %. European operators also keep out of Iranian airspace. From Turkey, the Caucasus or Central Asia the route runs close to the straight line, and from the Gulf the routing depends on which airspace the operator may use, so those rows allow 10 %.

Westerly winds are stronger in winter, so the flight home takes longer than the flight out. A fuel stop, when needed, is made in Turkey, the Caucasus or on the Caspian coast, as the operator decides; Aktau itself, with customs around the clock, is a common choice on the way to Almaty.

Prices for a private flight to Kazakhstan

Each price covers the whole aircraft for one flight; the landing permit, handling, parking and passenger taxes are added in the quote. Times refer to the first aircraft priced in each row, and a fuel stop is marked where the range requires one.

From the European hubs to the capital

Warsaw is the cheapest hub for the capital at EUR 39,000 in a Praetor 600, followed by Vienna at EUR 44,000 and Munich at EUR 46,000. From London the same aircraft costs EUR 53,000 for 7:44 h, still without a stop.

From Europe to Almaty

Almaty is at the limit of the Praetor 600 from London, so that cell includes a fuel stop and costs EUR 66,000, while a Challenger 650 flies nonstop in 7:49 h for EUR 71,000. From Paris and Geneva the Praetor 600 still reaches it in one go. Madrid is the longest sector on the page: only the Falcon 7X flies it without landing.

To the oil towns on the Caspian

From Scandinavia

From Turkey, Greece and the Caucasus

The short crossings of the Caspian suit a light jet:

From the Gulf and the neighbouring capitals

The flight to a Kazakh city is cheaper the closer it lies to the route: a Praetor 500 reaches Atyrau from Munich for EUR 32,000 and Aktau from Vienna for EUR 30,000, against EUR 46,000 and EUR 44,000 to the capital in a Praetor 600. From Istanbul a Citation Latitude flies to Astana or Shymkent for EUR 30,000, and from Dubai a Praetor 600 reaches Almaty in 4:26 h for EUR 32,000. Tashkent East and Bishkek are linked to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, each with its own permit and border control. On the European side the tax depends on where the jet takes off. A French departure costs about EUR 1,015 per passenger in a jet, well above the European rate of about EUR 420, as the tax is set by distance; Italy takes EUR 200 per passenger on sectors over 1,500 km, outbound and inbound alike; Austria EUR 12. British Air Passenger Duty goes by distance band, with the higher private-jet rate only for aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, and Germany, Norway and the Netherlands (from 5.7 t) charge departing passengers as well. Kazakh airport and navigation charges are listed in the quote.

Business jet price per flight hour

Heavy Jets from EUR 8,300 / hour

Light Jets from EUR 3,200 / hour

Ultra Long Range Jets from EUR 12,000 / hour

Super Midsize Jets from EUR 6,300 / hour

Very Light Jets from EUR 2,500 / hour

Long Range Jets from EUR 9,800 / hour

Midsize Jets from EUR 4,500 / hour

Turboprops from EUR 2,000 / hour

Three typical trips

Price per person

Split across the group, the same flights cost per person:

Calculator

For a first figure use the calculator and write the Kazakh city in the comment; a consultant then confirms the route, the stop if any and the final price.

Airports for business jets

Every airport below takes all classes of business jet. The first landing must be at an international airport with border control, and the landing permit from the Civil Aviation Committee is filed by the operator at least three working days before the flight; it is free of charge, but a change of date means filing again.

Fuel and de-icing are booked together with the handling for each airport. Semey in the east publishes its hours by NOTAM, so a flight there is planned for a confirmed time. In summer the heat at Atyrau, Aktau and Shymkent can limit the fuel a full aircraft takes on, and on a long sector home that sometimes means a stop on the way.

Flights inside the country

Distances in the steppe are long: Astana to Karaganda is about 200 km, to Shymkent about 970 km and to Aktau about 1,720 km, more than Warsaw to Rome. By train or car these trips take a day or more, by jet one to three hours.

Kazakh rules limit the carriage of passengers between two Kazakh cities by a foreign operator, with exceptions. Before booking we check whether the aircraft that brought you from Europe may fly the domestic sector; if not, a Kazakh operator takes it, usually in a light jet, and the European aircraft waits or flies home. Flights to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan or Turkmenistan need a permit in both countries and border control at both ends.

Which aircraft

Two or three passengers with light luggage and a flexible plan can save money with a midsize jet and one fuel stop. A heavy jet pays off for groups of ten and more, ski bags or a winter return against the wind.

Nonstop or one stop to save money? Leave your number, and a consultant goes through both options with you by phone.

When to fly: the year month by month

Business trips run all year, so there is no true off-season. May, June, September and early October are the easiest months: no frost on the apron, no summer heat in the west, and many conferences in the capital, which keeps slots and hotels busy. The cold months bring de-icing before every departure, while Almaty fills with skiers. Empty Legs westbound are most frequent after delegations leave the capital and in September and October.

From the airports to the city and beyond

Empty Legs to and from Kazakhstan

Most flights here are one-way for the aircraft, because a delegation stays several days and the jet goes home. The return sectors are offered below the normal price when your date fits:

Kazakhstan asks for the usual landing permit on an Empty Leg too, and the timing stays with the operator. Our address for such requests is empty-legs@jets.flights; give the direction and the dates you could travel.

Flying with a dog or cat

The animal travels in the cabin with you, provided the operator approves it in advance. The papers are needed twice, for the way in and for the way home, and the way home takes longer to prepare.

• Leaving the EU: a chip to ISO standard, a rabies vaccination 21 days or more before the flight, the EU pet passport, no more than five animals.
• Kazakhstan applies the veterinary rules of the Eurasian Economic Union. Up to two dogs or cats can come without an import permit; a clinical examination within 14 days before departure must be recorded by a state vet, and dogs also need vaccinations against distemper, parvovirus and leptospirosis, cats against panleukopenia.
• For the way back the EU treats Kazakhstan as an unlisted country, which means a rabies antibody result of at least 0.5 IU/ml. With the blood sample taken and entered in the passport before the trip, there is no three-month wait.
• The return flight must land at an EU airport that has a travellers' point of entry for pets.
• During a fuel stop in Turkey or the Caucasus the animal stays on board, because stepping off would mean entering another country.

Entry rules, cash and permits

Kazakhstan lies outside the EU and the Schengen area, so passengers clear border control and customs at the first airport of landing. On a domestic sector afterwards there is no second border check.

Before departure

• A passport for every passenger, undamaged and with blank pages.
• The city of first landing and the order of the cities, which decide the permits.
• Names and passport details in time for the landing permit.
• The number of passengers and the baggage weight, which decide whether the jet flies nonstop.
• Warm coats in the cabin from November to March.
• Cash above USD 10,000 declared at the border.
• Pet documents for both directions, including the antibody test.

How to book

1. Tell us where in the country you are going, how many you are, the baggage and whether a fuel stop is acceptable.
2. We ask operators for a route and fuel plan for your load and compare a nonstop aircraft with a cheaper one that stops.
3. Two to four offers follow, each naming the operator, the model, the routing and the flight time, with the aircraft price and parking and de-icing listed apart.
4. Once the contract is signed and paid, the operator applies for the overflight permits and the Kazakh landing permit; any domestic sector is cleared with the authorities by us.
5. On arrival a handler meets the aircraft, border control and customs take a few minutes, and the car waits outside.

Questions about private flights to Kazakhstan

• • How much does a private jet to Kazakhstan cost?

  • From EUR 30,000 one way for the whole aircraft, Vienna - Aktau in a Praetor 500. To the capital a Praetor 600 costs EUR 39,000 from Warsaw and EUR 53,000 from London; permit, handling and tax costs are added.

• • Which airport should we choose?

  • Astana for ministries and the financial centre, Almaty for banks, trade and the mountains, Atyrau or Aktau for oil and gas, Shymkent for the south and Turkistan. All of them can be the first landing.

• • Why does the flight take longer than the map suggests?

  • The direct line runs through airspace that European operators do not use, so the jet goes the long way round over the Black Sea, Georgia or Turkey, Azerbaijan and the Caspian. To the capital that adds about a fifth to the distance.

• • Can we fly nonstop?

  • To the capital and to Almaty from Paris or Geneva, yes, in a Praetor 600 or a heavy jet. A midsize jet reaches the western oil towns nonstop from central Europe, but stops on the way to Astana.

• • Can the same aircraft take us from Astana to Almaty?

  • Kazakh rules restrict domestic passenger flights by foreign operators, with exceptions. We check before booking, and if the answer is no, a Kazakh operator flies that sector.

• • Is a visa needed?

  • Not for EU, UK and Swiss citizens staying up to 30 days for business or tourism. A passport is needed, not an ID card, and the hotel takes care of the registration.

• • How early should we book?

  • The landing permit needs at least three working days, and overflight permits come first. A week gives room; for conferences in May, June or September, book several weeks ahead.

• • Is winter a problem?

  • No, the main airports de-ice around the clock. Plan extra time on the ground, because an aircraft parked outside in hard frost must be de-iced before every departure.

• • Can we bring our dog?

  • Yes, in the cabin. Up to two pets enter without an import permit, and a rabies antibody test before leaving home avoids a three-month wait before the return.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Kazakhstan has a single time zone, UTC+5, all year: London is five hours behind in winter and four in summer.

• • Are there Empty Legs?

  • Yes, mostly westbound after delegations leave the capital and after site visits in Atyrau and Aktau. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with your dates.