Air Astana starts new Almaty – Hong Kong flight

Air Astana airlines company is starting new Almaty-Hong Kong-Almaty flights on August 28, 2012, Tengrinews.kz reports, referring to the press-service of the carrier. “We’d like to invite Kazakhstan citizens and CIS residents to visit Hong Kong that is the biggest business and tourist center in Asia that attracts people from all over the world with its unique mixture of Eastern traditions and Western life-style,” Ibragim Zhanlyel, Air Astana Marketing and Sales Vice-president said. The company will perform the flights on Boeing 757 airliners (16 business class seats and 150 economy class seats) two times a week. Economy class return ticket will cost 83 225 tenge ($562) and up (including all the taxes) and business class ticket will cost 338 227 tenge ($2285). It will take passengers 6 hours and 10 minutes to get from Almaty to Hong Kong and seven hours 10 minutes to get from Hong Kong to Almaty. Convenient flight connections to Macau, Manilla, Guangzhou and other South-East Asian cities will be available for passengers at Hong Kong. Convenient flight connections will also be available for passengers traveling from Russia and other CIS countries. Kazakhstan citizens can travel to Hong Kong without visas starting from July 26. Astana and Hong Kong signed an Agreement on mutual exemption of visa requirements this May. Kazakhstan citizens will be able to stay in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China without visas if their period of stay doesn’t exceed 14 days. Hong Kong citizens enjoy 14 days' visa-free access to Kazakhstan as well.