“Sad rumors are heard from the capital’s airport. There will be no major runway repairs. Apparently, the management of the capital’s airport does not know how to admit that there will be no major repairs of the runway this year,” reports Berkut 001.
Transport Minister Marat Karabaev had stated that the condition of airfield pavements is extremely critical.
From July to August 2023, the runway was already repaired at the expense of Kazakhstani people. The then head of the Civil Aviation Committee, Talgat Lastayev, confirmed that T20 billion would be spent on repairs. Then the runway and aircraft parking area were updated, new road signs and lighting equipment appeared.
In October last year, it was reported that the capital’s harbor was being transferred to the management of a company from the UAE – Terminals Holding. The investor was given the task of preparing and modernizing the runway for reconstruction.
It was stated that the overhaul could take a whole year, but in the end the time frame was reduced. From May 1 this year, the airport was closed for repairs at night from 22.00 to 06.00. According to plans, the renovation will last until the end of the year. All night flights are now being canceled or postponed, which could cause the airport to suffer significant losses.
Against this backdrop, airport employees, namely drivers, demand that their salaries be raised, go to rallies and issue ultimatums to management.
KazTAG editors will contact the Ministry of Transport and the press service of the air harbor for comments on this issue.
Photo source: picture from an open source