Kazakh carrier Air Astana's quarterly loss widens threefold as costs surge (updated)

Air Astana AO

05/05/2026 08:10

Adds details on capacity shift and loss from paragraph 2 onwards

May 5 (Reuters) - Air Astana AIRA.KZ, AIRAq.L reported a first-quarter loss on Tuesday that widened nearly threefold as costs jumped after the Kazakhstan-based carrier shifted capacity away from Gulf routes due to the Iran war.

After the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran upended the aviation sector, the carrier cut Middle East capacity by 51% against planned levels for the quarter, halting flights to Dubai, Doha, Jeddah and Madinah.

It also reallocated capacity to Southeast Asian leisure routes and East-West transit connections.

Air Astana posted a loss after tax of $21.1 million for the three months to March 31, from a loss of $7.3 million a year earlier, as unit costs climbed 19.8% due to the company maintaining a cost base for higher planned capacity.

 (Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Janane Venkatraman)

 ((RaechelThankam.Job@thomsonreuters.com;))