Air India Expands Central Asia Access With New Codeshare

Travellers flying between India and Kazakhstan will soon have more choice and flexibility, thanks to a new codeshare agreement signed between Air India and Air Astana. The partnership, announced this week, adds a direct boost to connectivity between the two countries, while also opening the door to a wider network across Central Asia.

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said: “Our new codeshare partnership with Air Astana creates stronger air links to Kazakhstan, a fast-growing market with immense tourism potential. Beyond serving leisure travel demand, our partnership will also support trade and cultural exchanges between our two countries, while bringing a new destination in Central Asia closer to our customers."

Under the codeshare, Air India will place its ‘AI’ designator on Air Astana’s services between Almaty and Delhi as well as Almaty and Mumbai. This means passengers flying from cities across India can now book a seamless journey to Almaty on a single ticket, checking in their baggage through to their final destination.

Peter Foster, the Air Astana Group’s Chief Executive Officer, commented on the codeshare with Air India: “We are delighted to have concluded a comprehensive code share agreement with Asia’s oldest airline. Air India is an exceptionally well-managed business that operates a comprehensive network of flights to, from, and across India, the world’s most populous country and one of the fastest-growing travel markets. India is of key strategic importance to the Air Astana Group as we increase flights from Kazakhstan to Delhi, Mumbai and Goa. The code share will accelerate the increasingly strong business, tourist and student traffic flows between our two countries”.

The agreement builds on an earlier interline partnership launched in 2025, which already gave Air India customers access to destinations such as Astana, Bishkek, Tashkent, Dushanbe, and Urumqi via Almaty. In return, Air Astana has been able to tap into 18 domestic points in India and nine international destinations through Delhi and Mumbai.

Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city and a growing hub for tourism and business, is expected to see increased visitor flows from India through this partnership. For travellers, the step up from interline to codeshare makes journeys smoother, especially with through check-in and coordinated schedules.

Subject to regulatory approvals, the new flights will gradually appear for booking on Air India’s website, mobile app, and through travel agents worldwide, giving passengers more options to explore Central Asia and beyond.