Air Astana report strong second half

Total revenue increased by 16% to US$870 million against a capacity increase of 14%. The airline took delivery of two Airbus A321s, one Airbus A320 and two Embraer 190s, purchased via export credit finance leases, and retired its entire fleet of Fokker 50s.
 
Peter Foster, Air Astana’s president, said: “The full year proved much better than expected after a difficult first half in which profit fell by more than 80%. In the second half, strength of CIS markets, the strong performance of new services to China and Hong Kong, and non-fuel savings have made up most of the difference and offset to some extent higher fuel prices, though margins have fallen. We expect 2013 to be another mixed year with continued cost pressure, though at present markets remain stable.”
 
During the year, Air Astana was awarded 4 stars by service ratings agency Skytrax and voted Best Airline, Central Asia and India. It is the only airline in the CIS and Eastern Europe to have a 4 star rating.  

Air Astana is a joint venture between Kazakhstan’s national wealth fund Samruk Kazyna and BAE Systems, with respective shares of 51% and 49%.