Fuel and Transit
Almaty Airport Cements Its Status as Central Asia❜s Leading Aviation Hub
Almaty Airport has long since ceased to be merely the air gateway of the country's largest metropolis. Today, it is a complex, multi-layered transport and logistics hub whose operational efficiency determines Kazakhstan's place on the global transportation map.
Growth That Demands New Infrastructure
First, a few figures that speak for themselves. In 2025, the airport served almost 12 million passengers and handled more than 125 thousand tons of cargo. On this indicator, it firmly holds the industry leadership position in Central Asia. Almaty International Airport has repeatedly won prestigious Skytrax awards, a kind of "Oscar" of the aviation industry. In 2025, the airport was named "Best New Terminal in the World" and "Best Regional Airport in Central Asia and the CIS," and in 2026, it entered the list of the world's 100 best airports, taking 89th place.
But the dynamic is more important. Over the past several years, passenger traffic here has practically doubled, and that is not the limit.
"Since we acquired the airport in 2021, passenger traffic has practically doubled and today stands at around 12 million people per year. By 2030, we plan to reach roughly 23 million passengers, and we intend to continue this growth," says Philippe Laborie, Senior Vice President and Deputy CEO of Almaty International Airport.
Such growth is not only a success but also a challenge. The infrastructure inherited by the investor, TAV Airports Holding (a leading global operator managing 15 airports in 8 countries), required large-scale modernisation.
Project Horizon: A Reset
The response was Project Horizon, the first phase of the airport's 25-year Master Plan. It is not a matter of piecemeal improvements but of systemic transformation. In the coming years, more than 130 projects will be implemented, among them:
- reconstruction of the domestic flights terminal,
- modernisation of the runway,
- construction of a taxiway,
- development of cargo infrastructure,
- creation of a modern airfield complex.
Total investment volume exceeds USD 360 mln.
"At the time of acquisition, the airport was, let us say, in an outdated condition and required serious modernisation. That is why we immediately began construction of a new terminal, which has already been a significant step forward," notes Philippe Laborie. But the key transformation is taking place not only “on the surface,” he emphasises.
Invisible Infrastructure: Fuel as the Foundation for Growth
Smart terminals are on display at every airport, but behind them lies a living organism that ensures the daily round-the-clock operation of the air gateway. It is a complex ecosystem in which fuel infrastructure plays a critically important role.
"Developing an airport is not only about runways and terminals, but also about the large-scale development of related areas. One of the key elements of this system is aviation fuel. Capacity for supplying it must grow in step with the overall development of the airport," the Senior Vice President and Deputy CEO of Almaty International Airport emphasises.
This is precisely where the interests of the airport and the national oil and gas company KazMunayGas intersect.
The Role of KMG-Aero: Competition and Stability
Today, KazMunayGas-Aero (KMG-Aero), a subsidiary of KMG, is involved in aviation fuel supplies at Almaty Airport, and this is already having a positive impact on the market.
“KazMunayGas instructed us to supply aviation fuel and carry out into-wing fuelling at Almaty Airport,” says KMG-Aero CEO Ildar Shamsutdinov. At the same time, the key task was not simply to ensure supplies but to change the economics of the market: “The instruction was that aviation kerosene should be price-competitive with prices at airports in neighbouring countries. Accordingly, we are meeting this, supplying at competitive prices, and we observe that the number of airlines expressing a desire to cooperate with us is growing.”
In particular, KMG-Aero today actively works with such foreign carriers as Turkish Airlines (the agreement covers handling of both passenger and cargo flights), SpaceBee Airlines, AZAL Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), My Freighter Airlines, Easy Charter, Thai AirAsia X and others.
“KMG-Aero, with the support of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, is continuing systematic work to expand cooperation with leading international carriers and to establish transparent, stable and competitive aviation fuel supply conditions at airports in Kazakhstan. It is important for us that foreign carriers choose the country’s airports as growth points for their route networks. We, in turn, ensure stability, safety and high quality of fuelling operations,” KMG-Aero CEO Ildar Shamsutdinov emphasises.
Almaty operates in a highly competitive environment. Nearby are major aviation hubs of Central Asia, the Middle East and China.
But the city has a strong base. “Almaty Airport is in a very strong position thanks to the city itself. It is one of the largest and most significant economic centres in the region,” notes Philippe Laborie, Senior Vice President and Deputy CEO of Almaty International Airport.
However, geography alone is not enough. Competition today is built on three key factors: the cost of service (including fuel), the quality of infrastructure, and the ability to scale. That is why modernisation of the fuel segment is becoming not merely a technical task, but a strategic factor.
The Next Stage: Modernisation of the Fuel Supply Complex
The cooperation established between KMG and TAV Airports Holding, with the government's support, has already enabled the reduction of aviation fuel prices for foreign airlines, strengthening the airport's competitive position and its attractiveness to international carriers.
Today, this cooperation is moving to a new level. The parties are discussing modernisation of the fuel supply complex, including the introduction of modern fuel storage, accounting and control systems. As Ildar Shamsutdinov says, "to date, a road map for modernisation has been signed between KazMunayGas-Aero and Almaty Airport. Further negotiations and assessment of cooperation are underway."
This concerns the creation of infrastructure that meets international standards and supports the airport's growth for decades to come.
From the Largest Airport to a Global Hub
Almaty already has the status of the region’s largest airport. But the task is to reach a new level. In the long term, the Master Plan envisages growth to more than 50 million passengers per year. This means a multiple increase in traffic and a strengthening of the air gateway’s transit role.
This outlook fully fits with the logic of implementing President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's directive to establish several major aviation hubs in Kazakhstan, integrated into international supply chains. Achievement of this goal will be assured through systematic work by all interested participants with continuous support from the government.
Growth in transport volumes will be ensured not only in the passenger segment but also through increased cargo receipt, dispatch, and handling, one of the most dynamic segments of aviation. Already, the signing of a cooperation agreement between Turkish Airlines and KMG-Aero has increased the airline's cargo flights through Almaty Airport, which will, in the future, enable scaling up air cargo volumes and strengthening the role of the air gateway as a key international aviation and logistics hub.
Synergy as a Development Model
As in Aktobe and in Turkestan, the key success factor is synergy.
The airport is responsible for infrastructure and service. The investor is responsible for scale and management. The fuel operator is responsible for the economics and reliability of supply. The state is responsible for strategy. It is precisely this model that makes it possible to solve two tasks at once: to support current growth and to lay the foundation for the decades ahead.
Today, Almaty is no longer merely the largest airport in Central Asia. It is a platform for the growth of the entire aviation industry of Kazakhstan. Large-scale modernisation, growth in passenger traffic, development of the cargo segment and, especially importantly, the creation of modern fuel infrastructure are shaping a new reality.
A reality in which Kazakhstan becomes not a transit territory but a full participant in global logistics. Because in today's dynamic economy, countries do not compete. Hubs do.