Şymkent International Airport

Şymkent International Airport (Kazakh: Halyqaralyq Şymkent Äuejaiy) (IATA: CIT, ICAO: UAII) is an international airport serving Shymkent, Kazakhstan. It has two passenger terminals and one runway. It serves as the main hub for SCAT Airlines, handling a large part of the airline's flights.

Şymkent International Airport Halyqaralyq Şymkent Äuejaiy (Kazakh)
IATA: CIT ICAO: UAII
Summary
Airport type	Public/Military
Operator	JSC "Şymkent International Airport"
Serves	Şymkent
Location	12.6 km (7.8 mi) NW of Şymkent Railway Station, Kazakhstan
Hub for	SCAT Airlines
Elevation AMSL	422 m / 1,385 ft
Coordinates	42°21′54″N 069°28′34″E
Website	www.airserver.kz
Maps
CIT Location in Kazakhstan Show map of Kazakhstan CIT CIT (West and Central Asia) Show map of West and Central Asia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 10/28 3,300 10,827 Reinforced Concrete 10/28 2,300 7,546 Dirt 06/24 410 1,345 Dirt
Source: AIP Kazakhstan[1]

History

Foundation and early years

The airport was established on an agricultural airbase constructed in 1932. The airport started managing both passenger and freight traffic in 1933. The runway and passenger terminal of the airport were completed in 1967 after the airport was relocated to its current position in 1963.^{[citation needed]}

Development since the 2000s

Following the signing of an agreement in November 2012 by the governments of France and Kazakhstan, Şymkent Airport was made available to French personnel withdrawing from Afghanistan. After arriving on French aircraft, military weaponry was carried from the airport by train to Europe. In order to guarantee the transshipment operations at Şymkent Airport, France was to provide the funding for the construction of the infrastructure required for the temporary bond storage and the space needed for stricter customs checks. Additionally, it paid for the purchase or rental of loading vehicles, to accelerate wagon loading, construction of a 400 m (1,300 ft) hard-surface road, and the protection of freight in temporary storage and during transportation on Kazakhstan's railroad.^{[citation needed]}

The airport experienced a 20% increase in passenger traffic, rising from 440,000 passengers in 2014 to 520,000 passengers in 2017.^{[2][clarification needed]}

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Aeroflot	Moscow–Sheremetyevo[3]
Air Astana	Almaty, Jeddah[4]
FlyArystan	Almaty, Aqtau, Aqtöbe, Astana, Atyrau, Qostanai, Oral, Öskemen, Semei Seasonal: Kutaisi[5]
flydubai	Dubai–International[6]
Pegasus Airlines	Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[7] Seasonal: Antalya[8]
Qazaq Air	Almaty, Astana, Jezqazğan[9]
S7 Airlines	Novosibirsk[10]
SCAT Airlines	Almaty, Aqtau, Aqtöbe,[11] Astana, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi (begins 15 December 2025),[12] Budapest,[13] Cairo,[11] Istanbul, Kökşetau,[14] Moscow–Vnukovo, Munich,[15] Seoul–Incheon,[16] Shanghai–Pudong,[17] Ürümqi,[18] Xi'an[19] Seasonal: Petropavl[20]
Sunday Airlines	Seasonal charter: Antalya,[citation needed] Phuket,[citation needed] Sharm El Sheikh[citation needed]

Accidents and incidents

Main article: 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision

On November 12, 1996, Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907, an IL-76TD which took off from Şymkent International Airport collided with Saudia Flight 763, a Boeing 747 which took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport, in the air over Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, India. All 289 passengers and 23 crew on Flight 763 and all 27 passengers and 10 crew on Flight 1907 were killed. A total of 349 people died, making it the deadliest ever mid-air collision involving two aircraft.^[21]

See also

• Transport in Kazakhstan
• List of the busiest airports in the former USSR