photo: pexels/Lora Rikky
Direct air service to Arqalyk has resumed in the Kostanay Region after several years. The first flight from Astana departed at 9:00 a.m. and landed in the city at 9:40 a.m.
Regular flights are now available not only from the capital but also from Almaty and Kostanay. Previously, travelling to Arqalyk took considerably longer.
The resumption of air service was marked by a series of celebrations. Passengers and arriving guests were welcomed with the traditional shashu ceremony, music and songs. Artists from the Musical Theatre for Young Audiences, who had also performed in Astana, presented a musical performance on board the aircraft and in Arqalyk.
One of the highlights of the opening was the song “Arqalyqtyn Aq Tany” by Shamshi Kaldayakov and Mukhtar Shakhanov. The song was written after the authors travelled to the Torgai region in the 1970s.
Local residents welcomed the return of air service with enthusiasm.
“To be honest, I’m getting tears in my eyes. We have waited for this day for so many years! I believe everything will be very good now. Thank you to the President! The city is coming back to life, and there is hope and confidence that we have not been forgotten,” one Arqalyk resident said.
The launch of the flights is part of efforts to develop the Torgai region and follows an instruction from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The airport underwent the necessary preparations before flights resumed.
The new airport received the required certificates for aviation security, air navigation services and aerodrome suitability. The facility is ready to receive regional CRJ200 aircraft. Following a competitive selection process, SCAT Airlines was chosen as the carrier.
Alongside the restoration of air service, the city of Arqalyk is continuing to modernise its infrastructure. The railway station has already been renovated, while construction of the strategic “Centre–West” highway is currently underway. Work is also continuing on social facilities, utility networks and roads, while public spaces are being improved.
The changes are also affecting residents’ outlook on the city’s future. One of the passengers on the first flight said he had previously planned to leave Arqalyk, but the development of infrastructure and the return of air services changed his plans.
“I was seriously planning to leave the city. But when I saw how Arqalyk is developing — roads are being repaired, facilities are being restored, and flights to Astana, Almaty and Kostanay have returned — I decided to stay. Now I see that the city has a future, and I want to live and work here,” he said.
The resumption of air service has become another important stage in Arqalyk’s large-scale modernisation and is expected to improve the city’s transport connectivity.
source: Akimat of Kostanay Region
