Air Kazakhstan lays out winter marketing strategy against background of soft volumes

Published: 11/2/1999

In a press interview with journalists in Kazakshstan, the Head of Air Kazakhstan's Commercial Department, Yelena Gladkikh, has outlined plans for the airline during the autumn and winter 1999/2000. The company intends to open two new routes in the period: one to Heathrow and the other to Dubai and, in its marketing, will focus on transit and business passengers. The new flights will use the airline's A-310 arranged in two classes, business and coach, with pricing set at a rate to compete aggressively with the airline's main competitors. The Alma-Ata-Dubai flight will carry mainly Kazak business passengers and those Kazaks seeking the shopping opportunities of the Gulf state. The Alma-Ata - London flight will transit passengers from Delhi. The airline plans to develop transiting through Alma-Ata to destinations including Seoul, Karachi and Kuala-Lumpur. During the spring-summer period, traffic for Air Kazakhstan fell, although no actual numbers were provided. According to Gladkikzh, the spring-summer traffic in 1999 fell to 60% of the airline's total traffic - well down from the 78% recorded in 1998. This is also against a background of what the airline admits are significant declines in its overall traffic over the last few years. The company attributes the decline of traffic to the steep devaluation of the country's currency, the recent fire in the Alma-Ata airport and problems relating to the handling of transit passengers through the airport's customs, which the airline believes loses them a significant number of transit passengers.

Article ID: 1029