Why Does the EU Need an Aviation Agreement with Kazakhstan – Expert Opinions

Recently there were reports that the European Union is discussing concluding an extensive agreement with Kazakhstan on air traffic. Statements regarding it were very brief. Orda.kz interviewed experts about the document’s potential meaning. 

A confidential briefing, which American journalists obtained, has detailed information about individual plans for four countries – Chile, Brazil, Nigeria and Kazakhstan. Deep cooperation with each of these countries, according to the authors, should contribute to the isolation of Russia and hinder China’s expanding influence. Regarding Kazakhstan, the aviation industry was also up for discussion.

The document notes that Kazakhstan is seeking a visa-free regime for its citizens. And it is assumed that the EU can conclude an agreement on air transportation throughout the EU with the country. Expert Artur Shahnazaryan suggests that the reason may be the geopolitical situation and competition in the sky.

"One of the first Agreements that the EU is preparing with Kazakhstan in the order of "priority" is air communication. Moreover, it is going to be signed not only via a bilateral document, but also, it is noteworthy that (with - Ed.) each EU country separately, in addition. Passenger airlines lose a lot from the mutual sanctioned closure of the air sky. And Chinese airlines calmly fly through the territory of Russia,"

the expert believes.

The airspace of Ukraine has remained closed since February 24, 2022. Russia, in response to the ban on flights of its airlines to the EU, closed its skies to European carriers. The latter are thereby forced to fly around Russia to Asia, including South Korea and China, which recently lifted coronavirus restrictions. Chinese and Indian carriers that have not joined sanctions continue to use the Russian sky. Shahnazaryan believes that transit is the main thing that interests Europeans.

"Currently, Western European air carriers are forced to use the Turkish corridor. If you look at the map of the Black Sea, there is a corridor between Türkiye and Russia through the airspace of Romania and Bulgaria, which is no longer than the Russian one, and clearly shorter than the Turkish one. Through Romania or Bulgaria, then through the Black Sea, then Georgia or Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan and then straight to China! There is a maximum of an extra hundred kilometers. And this is if we consider flights from the Scandinavian countries (Finland, Sweden, Denmark). If you look at the more southern countries of Europe, there is almost no difference."

Aviation industry expert, Abul Kekilbayev, told Orda.kz that European airlines already have no choice but to fly through Kazakhstan to China.

"One way or another, they would have flown through Kazakhstan anyway. And Kazakhstan would have served them anyway. Rather, it is a signal to everyone that you need to fly according to this scheme. Now Europeans cannot compete with Chinese air carriers: bypassing Russia, the flight becomes 2-2.5 hours longer."

An already long journey becomes even more tedious for passengers and significantly increases the cost of each flight. The expert also explains that the European Union is not ready to resume flights to China now for technical reasons, although, after a three-year lockdown, passenger traffic will be huge, especially considering that the summer season is just around the corner.

"During the pandemic, many planes remained on the ground, that is, they were simply not used. For flights to China, a small set of airliners is used – these are large long-haul aircraft. In order to put them back into operation, serious technical work is needed. It's not easy at all. The aviation authorities of the People's Republic of China have prepared for the resumption of flights, so they have no problems with the fleet."

At the same time, the expert draws attention to the fact that instead of rejoicing at the possible increase in air traffic through Kazakhstan's airspace, it is necessary to solve the main problem – flight safety. According to Air Astana President, Peter Foster, Kazakhstan almost got blacklisted by the European Commission on aviation security. This claim would later be refuted, as Foster reportedly said his words were taken out of context.

At the same time, the number of Russian flights’ transit has increased in 2022. After the start of the war, 11 air harbors in the south of Russia stopped operating. Planes fly around regions near the borders with Ukraine. Flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Sochi, Makhachkala, as well as to Yerevan and Baku and others fly through Western Kazakhstan.

The signing of the priority agreement with Kazakhstan was discussed at the meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers, which was held in Luxembourg on April 24, and the main topic of which was the situation in Ukraine. On May 16-17, Iceland's capital Reykjavik will host a similar meeting, but at the level of heads of state and government.

Original Author: Maksim Skopin

DISCLAIMER: This is a translated piece. The text has been modified, the content is the same. The text has included Foster claiming his words were taken out of context. Please refer to the original article in Russian for accuracy.