Summary Air Astana will fly non-stop this winter between Almaty, Kazakhstan's most populous city, and London Heathrow. As the Airbus A321LR-operated flights will avoid Russian airspace, the block time to the UK will be up to 9h 35m. While stronger winter winds will reduce the operating aircraft's range, Air Astana's relatively low-capacity 166-seat LRs will help.
Fancy being on the world's longest regularly configured non-stop A321LR flight? Now you can. It is because of Air Astana , which will switch its Almaty to London Heathrow service—which avoids Russian airspace—from one-stop to non-stop this winter. Of other non-stop LR-operated routes, only La Compagnie's 76-seat all-business-configured aircraft from Milan to Newark have a longer block time (9h 45m in winter), but that's an apples-and-oranges comparison.
Air Astana's non-stop offering will have a 2h+ longer block time than Wizz Air's inaugural A321XLR route, set to begin next June . The airline group current operates a fleet of nearly 40 aircraft. Air Astana's Heathrow service: a summary Kazakhstan's flag carrier has served Heathrow for around two decades.
Flights were nearly always non-stop (through Russian airspace) on the now-retired Boeing 757-200ER, occasionally interspersed by the 767-300ER. Since 2021, Air Astana's Heathrow service has exclusively been on the A321LR. Due to the Russia-Ukraine war and seemingly because Air Astana cannot obtain insurance coverage to fly to Russia or through its airspace, flights avoid the country.
As such, Heathrow services currently operate from Almaty via Aktau in both directions . This setup began in May 2022 (shortly after the war started), and passengers can connect in Aktau to reach Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan's capital. Routes make the world go round.
What is the current schedule? It varies depending on the day. In the present week, flights will operate four times weekly. On September 12 , for example, they are as follows, with all times local.
It will take 11h 20m to reach the UK that day. Some days have only a 60-minute turn in Aktau. Air Astana's Heathrow slot times vary, which changes the schedule.
Almaty-Aktau : KC663, 09:30-12:50 (3h 20m) Aktau-Heathrow : KC663, 14:25-16:50 (6h 25m) Heathrow-Aktau : KC664, 18:05-03:40+1 (5h 35m) Aktau-Almaty : KC664, 04:40-07:30 (2h 50m) How is its Heathrow service changing? On October 27, the first day of the northern winter aviation season, Almaty-Heathrow will operate non-stop in both directions again . Reflecting lower wintertime demand, it will run twice weekly, helping to increase loads per flight. The situation is a bit curious, though.
By running non-stop in the winter, it will have a lower range due to stronger winter winds and higher fuel consumption. This will increase weight and reduce range. What is the schedule this winter? On Sundays, the UK-bound flight will be blocked at 9h 30m, while it'll be 9h 35m on Fridays.
It raises questions about how long is too long for narrowbody flights. On November 1 , for example, it is scheduled as follows, with all times local: Almaty-Heathrow : KC663, 10:20-14:55 (9h 35m) Heathrow-Almaty : KC664, 17:10-06:20+1 (8h 10m) Want tickets? Get them here! About a 15% longer distance?! Routing to avoid Russian airspace may mean Air Astana's non-stop services overfly Baku, Azerbaijan, en route. If so, the distance may increase to around ~3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) .
In contrast, flying over Russia means it would be around 3,045 nautical miles (5,640 km). While ~3,500 nautical miles would be within the theoretical or brochure range touted by Airbus—as with a car, always be cautious when looking at manufacturers' promises—it is pushing it for the real-world range. As stated, winter winds will not help the cause.
But Air Astana's relatively low-capacity LRs will. They have a 166-seat , two-class layout: 150 seats in economy and 16 in business. Their relatively lightweight nature increases their range.
Less busy flights help with range, too, by being lighter. However, as frequencies will reduce to twice-weekly, that'll help push up loads. It's an always-intriguing balance of factors.
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