Air Astana signs preliminary agreement for up to 50 Airbus A320neo, including A321LRs
Air Astana said that first deliveries will begin in 2031.
Air Astana has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for an order for up to 50 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, including the A321LR, with the MoU including 25 firm and 250 options.
Just as the Dubai Airshow 2025 is wrapping up (the MoU is unrelated to the event), Air Astana said that it had signed an MoU to modernize its fleet, with the agreement covering up to 50 A320neo family aircraft. According to the Kazakh airline, it will be a mix of “A320neo and A321neo aircraft, with the first deliveries starting in 2031.”
“The majority of the aircraft will be allocated to the Airbus A321LR, a version of the aircraft of which Air Astana was one of the first airlines to install a deluxe configuration, for deployment on its pioneering long-haul services to Asia and Europe.”
Peter Foster, the outgoing Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Astana, added that the MoU reflected the commitment of the group, which also includes the low-cost carrier FlyArystan, to “maintaining its reputation for operational efficiency and service excellence in the long term.”
Foster highlighted that the A320neo aircraft family has been an outstanding success while in service with Air Astana, expressing confidence that “the new fleet will continue to boost sustainable growth and profitability in the long term.”
Planespotters.net records showed that Air Astana currently has 11 A320neo, four A321neo, and 13 A321LR aircraft in its fleet, in addition to two A321ceo and three Boeing 767-300ERs. FlyArystan has another 13 A320neo aircraft, all of which are currently parked, as well as 15 A320ceos.
When Air Astana unveiled its Q3 results on November 11, Foster said that while the airline has “been proactive in mitigating the Pratt & Whitney powdered metal challenge to date,” its quarterly capacity was constrained by “19 unscheduled engine removals [UERs] year-to-date, of which 14 occurred during the summer peak, caused by additional engine design defects.”
“The nature of these UERs required engines to be removed earlier than under the scheduled removal plan, grounding up to 13 aircraft in the peak season and reducing the capacity that had been preserved for deployment during the peak season.”
The Kazakh airline ended the first nine months of 2025 with revenues of $1 billion, a profit after tax of $31.2 million, and $539.6 million of cash before available facilities.
A few days before it announced its Q3 results, Air Astana, as well as two other Central Asian airlines, unveiled an order for 15 787-9 aircraft. Scheduled to be delivered between 2032 and 2035, the carrier’s order was split between five firm, five options, and five purchase rights.
Air Astana is also awaiting three 787-9s that it would lease from Air Lease Corporation (ALC). They were initially scheduled to arrive between early 2025 and spring 2026.
Rytis Beresnevicius
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