Passenger traffic nearly doubles as Türkiye’s TAV invests $354m more in Almaty airport

Türkiye’s TAV Airports and Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry signed an agreement on the second phase of a $353.9 million investment program at Almaty airport. The work is scheduled for completion by the end of next year.

Passenger traffic at Almaty airport, which has been operated by Türkiye’s TAV Airports since 2021, nearly doubled over several years, reaching 11.9 million passengers in 2025. The company is now investing an additional $353.9 million in Kazakhstan’s largest aviation hub.

The agreement to expand the investment program was signed by TAV Airports CEO Serkan Kaptan and Kazakhstan’s Transport Minister Nurlan Sauranbayev. The document is based on a cooperation protocol signed in May by the presidents of Türkiye and Kazakhstan, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

New terminal building at Almaty International Airport

Second phase to be completed by the end of 2027

Kaptan told Anadolu Agency that the first phase, worth $288.7 million, was completed in 2024, when new international and VIP terminals opened. The second phase is due to be completed by the end of next year, bringing TAV’s total investment in Kazakhstan to approximately $642.5 million.

In September, the Turkic Investment Fund joined the financing of the airport’s modernization and may invest up to $20 million. According to the fund, the money will go toward the runway, airfield infrastructure and the expansion of cargo terminals.

A Middle Corridor hub

From January to September this year, the airport served 9.47 million passengers, while international traffic increased by 11%. “Thanks to its strategic location on the modern Silk Road and the Middle Corridor, Almaty airport is one of Central Asia’s key passenger and cargo hubs,” Kaptan said. The airport serves as a base for Air Astana; by the end of last year, 42 airlines flew from there to 86 cities in 30 countries.

Passenger traffic nearly doubles as Türkiye’s TAV invests $354m more in Almaty airport