Eastar Jet to launch first-ever Busan-Almaty route in May

(Eastar Jet)

South Korean budget carrier Eastar Jet Co. announced on Friday it will launch a new route from Busan to Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, starting May 1.

This will be the first time Eastar Jet operates this route, making it the only airline – domestic or international – to fly directly between Busan and Almaty.

The Busan-Almaty route will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. The outbound flight departs from Gimhae International Airport at 6:55 p.m., local time, and arrives at Almaty International Airport at 10:40 p.m.

The return flight departs Almaty at 11:40 p.m. and arrives at Gimhae Airport at 9:35 a.m., the following day.

This route is Eastar Jet’s second Central Asia route, following the Incheon-Almaty route launched in April 2025. It is also the airline’s tenth international route departing from Busan, after destinations such as Taipei, Osaka, and Phu Quoc.

Almaty is a market with strong growth potential as a tourist destination, in addition to steady travel demand from foreign workers and ethnic Koreans.

According to aviation statistics from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, about 185,000 passengers used the Incheon-Almaty route last year, up 15 percent from 2019.