Air Astana records first half US$6.6m loss

Air Astana has recorded a net loss of US$6.6m and an operating profit of US$0.975m, for the first half of 2016. Operating revenue fell by 30% to US$275m, driven by a signification devaluation of the Kazakh Tenge in comparison with the first half of 2015, and by weaker regional travel markets in the wake of commodity price falls. Passenger numbers fell by 7% to 1.69 million. Air Astana recently launched flights between Almaty and Tehran, and will take delivery of its first Airbus A320Neo later this year.