From Travel Daily:
Commencing on 29 October 2013, the new route will become the first direct link between the capitals of Kazakhstan and the UK – Astana and London. Services will operate once a week, using a Boeing 757-200 aircraft with 16 seats in business class and 150 in economy.
Air Astana will operate a Boeing 757 on the route
The new London-Astana route will mark an extension of the airline’s existing services between London and Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty. On Tuesdays, Air Astana will fly the Almaty-London-Astana-Almaty route, while on Thursdays it will operate Almaty-Astana-London-Almaty. The Almaty-London-Almaty service will continue to operate on Saturdays.
“We are delighted to be able be able to increase services to the United Kingdom. Not only are we increasing our current capacity between Kazakhstan and London Heathrow by 50%, we are directly connecting the two capital cities for the first time. Following quickly on the heels of Prime Minister David Cameroon’s visit to Kazakhstan, this step demonstrates the strengthening relationship between the two countries and our increasing focus on Astana in the run up to Expo 2017,” said Air Astana’s president, Peter Foster.
Air Astana launched services between Almaty and London in December 2003 and has since carried more than 160,000 passengers on the route.
The new direct services from London to Astana will also enable UK-based passengers to connect to a range of regional destinations, including Urumqi, Tashkent, Bishkek, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Omsk.