Qazaq Air (IATA code IQ) is a new regional carrier based at Almaty (ALA) in Kazakhstan. The airline has been funded by the National Welfare Fund Samruk-Kazyna which also has a 51% stake in the national carrier Air Astana

The new airline’s inaugural flight on 28 August was between Almaty and Astana (TSE). Based on anna.aero’s analysis of the airline’s booking tool a total of four domestic routes appear to have been launched so far, with more to follow in the coming weeks. Initially the airline’s fleet will comprise three Q400s, which are able to operate into airports that Air Astana’s fleet can not. However, to start with, the airline appears to be operating on routes mostly already operated by Air Astana, as the airline’s staff gain experience of their new environment.

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Launched	From	To	Aircraft (WF)	Competition
28 August	Almaty (ALA)	Astana (TSE)	Q400 (7)	Air Astana (69), Air Company SCAT (15)
31 August		Pavlodar (PWQ)	Q400 (3)	Air Astana (7)
29 August		Shimkent (CIT)	Q400 (4)	Air Astana (14), Air Company SCAT (7)
30 August	Shimkent (CIT)	Pavlodar (PWQ)	Q400 (2)
Source: Qazaq Air website and OAG Schedules Analyser for w/c 1 September 2015

Qazaq Air to lease three Q400s from Falcon Aviation Services

Qazaq Air has signed an agreement with UAE-based firm, Falcon Aviation Services (FVS, Abu Dhabi Bateen), for the lease of three Dash 8-400s the first of which, P4-NUR (cn 4494), recently exited the paint shop in Almaty ahead of its formal presentation to the Kazakh public this week.
Though early press releases had pointed to a possible July 1 launch, delays in securing an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from the Kazakh Civil Aviation Committee have lead to reports that July 20 may be a more realistic date.