Will Kazakhstan Get Direct Flights to the U.S.? Aviation Administration Now Led by American Expert

Kazakhstan has appointed a new head of its Aviation Administration. His arrival is being linked to preparations for the launch of direct flights to the United States, Orda.kz reports.

As of May 4, 2026, Michael Daniel has been appointed chief executive officer of JSC Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan.

According to the Civil Aviation Committee, he has a specialized aviation education. Daniel graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the United States with a degree in aeronautics and has worked in civil aviation for more than 40 years.

He began his career at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA. There, Daniel served as a flight operations inspector, an aircraft certification specialist, head of flight safety, and senior manager for international programs and policy.

He also worked in FAA international offices in Frankfurt, New York and Washington. From 2006 to 2009, Daniel headed the FAA’s international office in Singapore and Beijing, where he oversaw foreign repair stations and international safety assessments.

At different stages of his career, he also led international initiatives, including the APEC working group on transport and aviation safety, oversaw international supervision issues, and cooperated with the International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO.

How the U.S. Could Become Closer to Kazakhstan

The Civil Aviation Committee said one of the new chief executive’s main tasks will be to help open direct flights from Kazakhstan to the United States. Aviation expert Abul Kekilbayev said Daniel’s appointment may indeed be connected to that goal.

He was brought in with the task of opening flights to the United States. The planes have already been purchased, now Kazakhstan needs to pass an audit for compliance.Kekilbayev said.

Kekilbayev explained that the appointment alone is not enough to launch direct flights to the United States. Kazakh airlines still need to go through several procedures with U.S. regulators. He also shared with Orda.kz a list of measures that must be completed before permits can be granted.

According to that explanation, an airline must first obtain permission from the U.S. Department of Transportation. After that, the application goes to the FAA, which checks whether the airline’s home country meets ICAO safety standards.

The key stage is the evaluation under the IASA program. Under this process, the FAA does not assess an individual airline, but the country’s aviation authorities. This includes legislation, oversight systems, inspectors’ qualifications, documentation and flight safety controls.

If a country meets ICAO standards, it receives Category 1. In that case, its airlines can fly to the United States using their own aircraft and crews. If the country is assigned Category 2, direct access is closed.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, carries out a separate review. It assesses the security of the airports from which flights to the United States are planned, as well as the security procedures of the airlines themselves.

In other words, direct flights to the United States are not only a matter of aircraft and route planning. Kazakhstan must show that its entire aviation oversight system meets both U.S. and international standards. The new head of the Aviation Administration is expected to help with that process.

Original author: Alexander Zhdanov

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