Kazakhstani SCAT to connect Kazan with Central Asia
The Kazakhstani airline SCAT has been appointed the official carrier in air traffic between Tatarstan and Kazakhstan. The corresponding notification was sent by the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan to the Federal Air Transport Agency. SCAT is preparing to operate regular flights from Kazan to Taraz (Aulie-Ata Airport in the south of the country), without entering into direct competition with the Russian Red Wings flying from Kazan to Astana and Alma-Ata. According to experts, SCAT relies on transit passenger traffic, which transfers to its boards upon arrival in Astana, since not everyone has a flight through the skies of Kazakhstan. Here, we are talking here about business passengers, not tourists.
SCAT is opening flights between regions
Russia and Kazakhstan have begun to expand air traffic between the regional cities of the two countries, and Kazan is the first non-capital point. From here, the Kazakhstani airline SCAT intends to open direct scheduled flights with the southernmost airport of the country, Aulie-Ata, under construction in the city of Taraz in the south of the country. Before that, she managed to “break through” the opening of direct flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg, albeit rare.
The Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan notified the Federal Air Transport Agency that SCAT intends to carry out regular flights from Kazan as well. “In accordance with Article 3 of the intergovernmental agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation on air traffic, SCAT Airline has been appointed as the official carrier from Kazakhstan to perform regular flights Taraz — Kazan — Taraz," reads the text of the notification signed by Acting Chairman S. Zharylgasov. It clarifies that flights will be operated twice a week.
Which board will be put on this route is not specified. But, most likely, it can be a Boeing 737 aircraft, which forms the basis of the airline's fleet.
“With the granting of the status of an official carrier, SCAT airline gets the opportunity to operate regular flights from Kazan, whereas now charter tourist flights are operated," the press service of the Kazakhstani airline explained to Realnoe Vremya. “There is no free sale of tickets (to airports in Kazakhstan). They are sold as part of travel packages in travel agencies.”
It is promised regular flights from Kazan to SCAT Airlines to start in the near future.
Asian window to Europe
The expansion of air traffic between the regions became possible after the next meeting of the transport subcommittee of the Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, which took place in April this year. Then it became known that passenger traffic between Russia and Kazakhstan jumped by 58.5% from the beginning of the year, and doubled by the end of 2022.
It is not difficult to guess that the rise in passenger traffic was first provoked by the partial mobilisation, and then continued against the background of closed borders. “Now the window to the outside world is limited. The exit is possible through the Turkish airport Istanbul or Dubai (UAE). Now Kazakhstan has been added to them, through which it is possible to enter international flights," explained Rustem Tarzimanov, the head of Salavat Tourist Services Bureau PLC. In his opinion, arrival at Aulie-Ata airport opens up additional opportunities for transit flights to other cities of Central Asia.
Initially, Novosibirsk was called the opening point of interregional flights, but in the end it turned out to be Kazan. This is not surprising, since SCAT started flying from Russia, opening trial flights from Kazan in 2015. Then the airline announced its readiness to fly to Astana twice a week, putting a Boeing 737-800 with a capacity of 118 passengers in the skies. The trips were aimed at tourists, and the ticket price started from 6,000 rubles. The programme was valid until September 2015. But then SCAT worked as a tourist carrier.
“Appointments are made so as to maintain the parity of forces”
Sources close to the authorities claim that sending a notification does not oblige the immediate opening of flights. Its purpose is to warn about the intention of a foreign carrier to start a flight programme in Russia: “Of course, the notification is sent for a reason. This is the result of certain agreements at the highest level, which will “take off” in the foreseeable future. It's another matter when it happens. This issue remains at the discretion of the airline itself," the interlocutors explain.
Currently, the Russian airline Red Wings operates on the Kazakh route from Kazan. It operates regular flights to Astana and Alma-Ata. Thus, the Kazakh airline will not create direct competition for it. “When official carriers are determined within the framework of intergovernmental agreements, then, as a rule, the agreements are aimed at equal relations between carriers of both countries," explained the editor-in-chief of the portal Avia.ru, Roman Gusarov.
According to him, the aviation authorities of a foreign country themselves choose which airline they want to see in Russia, and are ready to entrust it with specific directions based on the parity of forces. “Of course, Kazakhstan has an advantage in resources, but appointments are made in such a way as to maintain parity of forces," he stressed.
Meanwhile, not all Russian airlines have the opportunity to fly through the skies of Kazakhstan. As can be seen from the online resources for the sale of air tickets, Russian airlines “take” passengers to Astana, after which they are picked up by SCAT and fly with them to their destination in Kazakhstan. Connecting flights are formed with all the leading Russian airlines, as a result of which the flight time stretches for a day and a half. If SCAT flies a direct flight from Kazan, the travel time will be 3 hours. However, the ticket price rises to 53 thousand rubles, it follows from the data of the ticket aggregators (now flights are performed irregularly).
Meanwhile, SCAT is building up its fleet. On November 15, at the International Aerospace Exhibition in Dubai, the airline management announced an additional order for seven 737 Max 8 aircraft to expand the fleet of 737 MAX aircraft. “Today SCAT is the most dynamically developing airline in Kazakhstan, with the largest fleet of aircraft. Replenishing the fleet with seven more new 737 Max 8s will increase the airline's carrying capacity, positively affect the timeliness of the schedule and the offer of air tickets, and also allow the company to expand its own route networks and offer passengers even more destinations for travel," said the airline's president, Vladimir Denisov, at a ceremony in Dubai.
Kazakhstan is about business, not about tourism
Kazakhstan is noticeably losing out to Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia in terms of tourist attractiveness, they often go there to work, not to rest.
From a tourist point of view, Kazakhstan is not the most popular destination, travel companies are sure. Among the CIS countries, there are much more interesting locations — Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, where there are direct flights. “Kazakhstan is like a transit hub for businesses," they are unanimous.
“SCAT relies on transit passenger traffic, which transfers to their boards upon arrival in Astana. “Most likely, they collected flight statistics and saw that many transit passengers travel from Kazan to Taraz via Astana. They decided that they could take a risk and turn the transit passenger traffic into a direct one and it would be enough for two flights a week. Thus, they will be able to take not half of the flight, but the entire flow," Roman Gusarov, the editor-in-chief of the Avia.ru portal, believes.