Air Astana 767 Business Class Surprised Me!

Back in June 2020, I had plans to visit Kazakhstan, booked on Lufthansa Business Class. Naturally, the trip was cancelled. Since then, I’ve taken over 20 long-haul flights but never managed to make it back—until now.

This time I wanted to fly directly with Air Astana, however, their Business Class fares were coming up considerably more expensive than Turkish Airlines at the time.

Kazakhstan is a huge country and I planned to get around during my 10 days stay, so domestic flights would form part of the trip. With Air Astana offering full flat bed service on some of those rotations including the chance to fly on the world’s last production-built Boeing 767—a newer built frame than many ANA Dreamliner’s—sealed the deal for me.

Flights Details

Route: Almaty – Astana
Flight No: KC991
Date: October 2024
Departure Time: 18:05
Aircraft: Boeing 767-300 (Tail: EI-KEC )
Seats/Suite: 4K Business Class

Check-in at Almaty Airport

Let’s start with the weakest link: Almaty Airport. It’s small—far too small for its current passenger load—and lacks facilities befitting Kazakhstan’s largest commercial hub.

My Yandex taxi dropped me off near International Arrivals, forcing me to navigate to Domestic Departures, which turned out to be just a separate entrance in the same building.

Luckily, I quickly located the dedicated Business Class counters, where check-in was smooth.

My Business Class ticket included 2 X 32KG checked luggage allowance + 10KG cabin luggage – something many passengers made good use of !

No Lounge for Business Class? No Problem (Sort of)

Here’s a downside: there’s no lounge for domestic flights at Almaty Airport. Ground staff apologized and mentioned that a new terminal with lounges is in the works, but no timeline was given.

With over 90 minutes before departure, I found myself in a crowded boarding area shared by multiple flights.

A small café was the only option, but seating was scarce. My advice? Clear security no more than 30 minutes before your flight to avoid the congestion.

Boarding

After much waiting in cramped quarters, there was a visible sigh of relief when they began boarding call for our flight !

Unfortunately, it was impossible to take a picture of our aircraft as the only time it was in viewing range, there was a swarm of passengers both before and after me and thus this was the only shot I managed to capture..

Soon enough, it was time to experience the much-anticipated Air Astana Business Class…

Air Astana 767 Business Class

Despite the Boeing 767s being almost vintage, Air Astana’s Boeing 767 cabin is a revelation.

The Business Class cabin features 30 Thompson Aero Vantage flatbed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, offering direct aisle access for all passengers. The modern blue mood lighting added a sleek, contemporary feel to the cabin.

The base product is also used by the likes of Austrian, Swiss Business, Air Lingus

For a plane with the narrowest widebody fuselage, the space felt surprisingly comfortable.

The 22-inch-wide seats featured large side consoles, a crisp 17-inch IFE screen, multiple storage compartments, and connectivity options, including a universal power plug and USB ports.

The attention to detail, from the stitched branding on the fabric to the cutlery, reinforces Air Astana’s commitment to quality.

I always find it incredible how airlines manage to fit in Business Class seats in the same layout and same product width but with aircraft fuselage width that vary so much. The 767 is THE narrowest widebody out there and yet, here we are in a 767 in a 1-2-1 Business layout

For what it’s worth Air Astana has almost the same Business Seats on it’s long range A321Neo’s in a  alternating 2-2 or 1-1 layout with throne seats.

In all, this is a solid business class product.

Air Astana Business Class Service

Despite being a short domestic flight, service began on the ground with welcome drinks. The choices were either juices or water. Air Astana services its own unique fresh lemonade for international departures.

For those that like the hard stuff, would be pleased to know, Air Astana is not a dry airline !

Before take-off the crew handed out menus, yes menus on a 90 minute flight !

There was not 1 but 3 choices for your main! Now forgive the low quality since the lighting levels were rather low in the cabin.

After take-off hot towels were offered before the meal service began..

While I liked the sound of all meal options, I opted for the baked Chicken.

The meal was presented all in one tray – understandably so.

So here you have a fresh mixed salad with dressing, warm bread with butter and baked chicken breasts with pesto and kurt. Then you had an additional tomato and coriander sauce.

The meal was very nice, with the chicken tender and succulent served with well seasoned vegetables. As far as Business Class meals go, it would sit somewhere in the middle but that is judging this against long haul catering with much bigger carriers in the game !

Portion wise – I would say the meal was more on the lighter side for dinner.

Bear in mind, if you are flying internationally out of Almaty, the dining is even more elevated with some unique Kazak touches ! With finer China, Kazak tea pots and placemats !

The crew were quick to make the second rounds to offer drinks or tea/coffee while some people were still finishing their meals. I was just about done, so it was perfect timing to have my plates all cleared away so I could just put my feat up and relax for the next 40 minutes.

Entertainment Onboard

The IFE system featured a high-quality screen and a decent selection of movies and TV shows.

I could not tell if the headphones provided were fully noise cancelling – since the 767 engines are pretty loud and retro. During cruising, I found the sound quality to be good and the headset itself rather comfortable.

While the content library isn’t as extensive as those on major carriers, it was sufficient for a short flight. My only gripe? The frequent advertisements before every program.

Where Air Astana Flies 767s

Air Astana currently only has 3 of these relatively young 767 in its fleet, which will soon be replaced by new 787 orders.

These aircrafts are currently deployed between Almaty/Astana to destinations like Bangkok/Seoul/Phuket as well as some European rotations to Frankfurt and London Heathrow alongside it’s long range 321Neos.

Final Thoughts

Landing in Astana on a crisp, cold evening, I couldn’t help but feel impressed by Air Astana. From the thoughtfully designed Business Class product to the attentive service, they’ve clearly positioned themselves as a premium airline. And with a domestic flight such as this, puts all European and US airlines to shame !

While Almaty Airport leaves much to be desired, Air Astana itself exceeded my expectations. If you’re flying internationally, their A321neo LR offers updated seats, including coveted throne layouts.

Kazakhstan is a vast, captivating country, and Air Astana made the journey just as memorable as the destination. Would I fly with them again? Without hesitation.

I’ll review at least one of the Turkish flights as part of this trip also, it was largely a similar experience to Turkish Business Flights To/From Tashkent earlier in the year.