Etihad Airways has launched its first flight from Abu Dhabi to the Kazakhstan commercial capital, Almaty, bringing to 50 the number of destinations served by the fast-growing national airline of the United Arab Emirates.

The four flights a week Almaty service follows Monday’s launch of the airline’s new Moscow route, which will operate five times weekly.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said: “Kazakhstan is a growing economic force thanks to the strong investment in its oil sector and it is developing close relationships with the United Arab Emirates. It is an important destination in the Etihad family of routes and we are proud to be bringing our services to this major city in Kazakhstan.”

Kazakhstan gained independence in October 1990 and has since benefited from major foreign investment, particularly in the oil and gas sector, which has brought rapid economic growth to the country.

It is already among the world’s top 20 oil producers and expects to be one the world’s leading exporters in the next decade or two, as foreign investment in new pipelines continues.

Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city with a population of 1.2 million people, will be served non-stop, four times a week from Abu Dhabi, using an Airbus A319 aircraft.

Flight EY296 departs Abu Dhabi every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 9.15am and arrives in Almaty at 3.30pm the same day. Return flight EY297 departs Almaty on the same days at 4.50pm, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 7.45pm.

Almaty will be Etihad’s ninth destination in its rapidly expanding flight network in the Asia-Pacific region which already includes services to Brisbane, Sydney, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore,Bangkok and Beijing.

Etihad will operate a two-class Airbus A319 configured to carry 104 passengers with 20 seats in business class and 84 in economy class.

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