Direct Flights from Almaty to New York and Tokyo Expected in 2025

Direct flights from Almaty to New York and Tokyo are expected to launch in 2025 as part of a broader tourism development plan for the Almaty mountain cluster from 2025 to 2029, Orda.kz reports.

The proposal was published on the Open NPA portal on February 5 and includes a dedicated section on expanding international air routes. In total, the plan aims to introduce seven new direct flights from Almaty, including three to China, one to the USA, and one to Japan:

• Almaty — Shanghai (China)
• Almaty — Guangzhou (China)
• Almaty — Chengdu (China)
• Almaty — New York (USA)
• Almaty — Tokyo (Japan)

According to the plan, all these flights should be operational by the end of 2025. This follows the recent launch of direct flights from Almaty to Frankfurt (Germany) and Mumbai (India).

For Kazakhstani travelers, the most anticipated routes are those to New York and Tokyo, as no such direct flights are available. Discussions about an Almaty–New York route date back to 2023, and in April 2024, Kazakhstan and U.S. aviation authorities took a key step toward its launch. However, no major updates have been reported since.

As for Tokyo, Kazakhstan's first-ever direct flight to the Japanese capital was originally planned for spring 2026.

Original Author: Alexandra Mokhireva