Air Astana General Director Peter Foster to Step Down After 20 Years

Air Astana's general director, Peter Foster, will leave his post and step down from the board of directors at the end of March 2026, Orda.kz reports.

According to the airline, Foster will continue working as a senior adviser to the board after his departure.

On behalf of the board, I express our deep gratitude to Peter Foster for his outstanding leadership over the past 20 years — from the company’s early days to its position today as Central Asia’s leading airline, said Nurlan Zhaku­pov, chair of the board.

Foster, who has led Air Astana since 2005, turned the airline into Kazakhstan’s dominant carrier. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2015 and the Airline Business Award in 2024.

Rumors of his resignation had surfaced before, but this time the airline confirmed the news amid mounting criticism over flight delays and service issues.

Foster will be succeeded by Ibrahim Zhanlyel, the company’s chief financial officer, who has worked at Air Astana since 2003.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny