ALMATY, March 29 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan's flagship airline, Air Astana, is speeding up its expansion plans to take advantage of a drop in air traffic via Russia and the reopening of China, chief executive Peter Foster told Reuters.
Many global airlines stopped flights to Russia after it invaded Ukraine last year.
The company plans to grow its fleet to 50 aircraft by the end of this year from the current 44 aircraft, Foster said, and is accelerating expansion plans for the coming years.
"We see very big opportunities in China, as China has opened again, following COVID, India is doing well.., Pakistan is a growth market."
"And that's been resolved, we have no problem with accessing spare parts,"Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund, which owns a 51% stake in Air Astana, plans to list the company publicly next year.