Are we going to see Air Astana go on the offensive in the direction of the European market? In any case, Kazakhstan's national airline has enjoyed unprecedented room for manoeuvre in recent days, after the European Commission lifted the restrictions that until now had limited its flight schedule to and from European destinations. For four years, Air Astana had been unable to launch new flights on the European network due to a lack of safety guarantees. The green light from Europe now allows it to increase its frequencies to destinations already connected - namely London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam - and to target new European hubs. This new status could benefit French business travellers in the short term, with Air Astana already looking to Paris: "The airline can now plan more flights in Europe", enthuses Air Astana Chairman Peter Foster, who is already targeting Paris and Prague as "new priority destinations by the end of 2014 or early 2015".
