Kazakhstan's flag carrier has rolled out a busy winter schedule, and there's real news here for anyone planning a sun escape or a first trip to East Asia this season.
Air Astana's winter programme runs from 25 October through 27 March 2027, and it brings three genuinely new routes. Tokyo Narita gets twice-weekly flights from Almaty starting 30 November — the airline's first regular Japan service. Bangkok gains a direct Astana connection from 11 December, flying Tuesdays and Fridays alongside the existing daily Almaty service. And from Christmas Day, Almaty links up with Langkawi in Malaysia three times a week until late March. Flights to Salalah in southern Oman, a good winter-sun pick, launched from both Almaty and Astana on 23 October.
The bigger story might be the frequencies. Almaty to Malé in the Maldives jumps to six flights a week, going daily around New Year and Nauryz. Phu Quoc in Vietnam gets daily Almaty departures from December, plus three weekly flights from Astana. Dubai is up to 12 weekly flights from Almaty and 10 from Astana, while Phuket rises to seven a week, then nine from early December. Shanghai and Guangzhou services continue as before. Since 2025 the group has added 15 routes from the capital alone, taking Astana's network to 32 destinations and weekly international departures from 99 to 116.
There's a second hook for bargain hunters. Vietjet, which began flying Almaty–Hanoi and Almaty–Prague in early October, is selling one-way Economy fares from $135 (taxes and fees included) on both routes. Book via the airline's website or app before 9 p.m. on 1 November, for travel between 1 November and 31 March 2027. Vietjet is also adding Hanoi–Tainan in Taiwan and restarting Ho Chi Minh City–Chiang Mai, both four times weekly, on top of routes to the Maldives, Cebu and Clark — making Hanoi a handy stopover point for Kazakh travellers heading deeper into Asia.
Who should pay attention? Winter-sun seekers get real choice: beach-and-resort classics like the Maldives, Phuket and Dubai, plus quirkier options such as Salalah's monsoon-greened coastline or Langkawi's duty-free island life. Culture-first travellers now have a straightforward way into Tokyo without backtracking through hubs, and the Vietjet sale makes a two-centre Vietnam-and-Europe trip surprisingly cheap if you can book fast. The catch is timing — that fare window closes on 1 November, so if the $135 price appeals, decide quickly.
