Air Astana

In a region not known for birthing successful airlines, Central Asia, one carrier is bucking the trend. And while winter temperatures dip below -20C on average, Kazakhstan’s national carrier Air Astana is running hot, carving itself a unique niche in the marketplace. TOM BALLANTYNE reports.

It probably hasn’t crossed many minds but Peter Foster, president of Kazakhstan’s Air Astana, thinks there are some striking similarities between the Central Asian republic and Australia.

For a start, the country is vast, he says, the ninth largest nation by landmass in the world. “It has a pretty small population, about 16. 5 million, so there are vast spaces of unpopulated land.