Atlasjet Airlines (Antalya) is pushing ahead with plans to launch three new regional carriers in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Iraq. Kyrgyz Airlines (Bishkek) is reportedly looking for A320/A321 pilots among other personnel. A venture between the Kyrgyz government and Atlasjet, the airline has, as of this posting, not yet officially confirmed its launch plans though press reports out of Turkey have pointed to a possible September 9 launch. Initial routes will include Bishkek to Istanbul Atatürk, Ulaanbaatar, Beijing Capital, Moscow and Osh International while Seoul Incheon and other Russian destinations will follow in due course. The Turkish airline's Kazakh joint venture, Jet One (Almaty International), is set to launch on November 8 with flights from Almaty International to Astana Nursultan Nazarbayev, Dubai International, Sharm el Sheikh, Phuket, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Sanya and Colombo International. The Iraqi carrier, Zagros Air (Iraq) (Erbil), will now tentatively launch in September. Atlasjet Chief Executive Officer Sami Alan said the company was mulling whether to become the official national carrier or to remain a strong tourist-oriented airline in the countries in question.
Atlasjet readies its Kyrgyz, Kazakh and Iraqi ventures for launching
Atlasjet Airlines Airbus A321-200,
© Tis Meyer (PlanePics.org)