Air Astana bids adieu to Fokker 50 turboprops

Air Astana continues to phase out the fleet of Fokker 50 turboprops, with the last two aircraft scheduled to be returned to the lessor in January 2013.

Air Astana Fokker 50 turboprop

The original fleet of six aircraft, which completed 50,000 domestic flights, flew 90,000 hours and safely carried 1.5 million passengers in eight years of service, will be fully replaced by new generation Embraer E-190 jet airliners by mid-2013.

As a result of the Fokker 50 being withdrawn from service, Air Astana will cease operating Astana to Uralsk, Astana to and Atyrau to Uralsk services on 1 December 2012. The airports at Uralsk and Semey do not meet the international safety and equipment standards required to support Embraer E-190 jet operations. The resumption of flights to Uralsk and Semey will only be possible after a major upgrade of airports to jet standard.

Lamenting the inconvenience caused to passengers by the cessation of certain services, Peter Foster, President of Air Astana, said; “Modernising the fleet is a strategic priorities of Air Astana, with new generation Embraer E-190s having started replacing Fokker 50 turboprops on the short-haul routes over the past 18 months.”

By Mark Elliott, 2 December 2012, Sunday 6:09 AM