Korkyt Ata opens new terminal

The 7.5 thousand square metre passenger terminal is equipped with cutting-edge technology from the world’s leading manufacturers, including telescopic passageways, an automated baggage handling system and lounges for transit passengers and VIP clients. The terminal will help increase the airport’s capacity 7 times up to 2 million passengers per year. This will enhance transport accessibility and create new opportunities for attracting investment and tourists.

“In his address to the nation, the President identified the development of the transportation and logistics sector as a strategic priority. The new terminal at Korkyt Ata Airport represents a significant infrastructure project. It will help open additional air routes, enhance transit potential, and stimulate growth in passenger and cargo traffic. This will have a positive impact on the development of domestic tourism, trade, and the economy as a whole. The government will provide comprehensive support to socially oriented business initiatives,” said Olzhas Bektenov, who took part in the opening ceremony in the name of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The terminal is also equipped with self-registration counters, a Duty Free zone, prayer rooms, mother and child rooms, and specialized spaces for border and customs officers, phytosanitary and veterinary officers, sanitary and epidemiological control officers, and the transit police officers. The Bulat Utemuratov Foundation invested US$ 35 million in the new terminal with the support of the Verny Capital Group and donated the terminal to the communal ownership of local authorities upon completion of the construction.

The terminal was designed by GMW Mimarlic, a Turkish design company with two decades of experience in engineering airports around the world, including the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey, and the Gulf States. The renovated airport meets high standards of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The modernized terminal will serve new routes, including flights to Antalya, Aktau, and other destinations.

Almaz Sharman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation, emphasized, “The opening of the new airport was a significant event for all residents of Kyzylorda, and I am optimistic that it will contribute to the economic and social growth. We are committed to long-term philanthropic projects across the country that contribute to the social progress of both individual regions and Kazakhstan as a whole. Since its establishment in 2014, our Foundation has invested over US$ 200 mln in programs supporting healthcare, education, ecology and public infrastructure in Kazakhstan.”

Aviation in Kyzylorda has a long and distinguished history. The city’s first air gates were opened in the early 20th century, and the airport has been in its current location since 1988. In recent decades, the airport has undergone several modernizations, but the opening of the new terminal was a truly landmark event for the region.