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AIR : Almaty is
rapidly gaining importance as an international hub. It has air links
with many cities in the CIS. British Airways flies direct from London
to Almaty three times a week. Connections from London can also be made
on Austrian Airlines (via Vienna), KLM (via Amsterdam), Lufthansa (via
Frankfurt/M) and Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul). There are no direct
flights from the USA or Australia. Further connections are offered by
Aeroflot from Almaty to Urumchi (China), from where there are
connections to Beijing. New direct routes from Almaty to Tehran, Delhi
and Tel Aviv are planned.
Approximate flight times : From London to Almaty is 8 hours,
from Istanbul is 6 hours, from Ulgi (Mongolia) is 4 hours and from
Hanover and Frankfurt/M is 10 hours.
International airports : Almaty (ALA) is located 10km (6.2
miles) northeast of the city. Bus nos. 38, 446 and 492 connect the
airport with the city centre (travel time - 20 minutes). Taxis are
also available at the airport for transport into the city centre.
Airport facilities include car hire, duty-free shops, restaurant and
post office.
Departure Tax : None.
SEA : Freight is carried on the Caspian Sea to Russia and Iran.
RAIL : There are international rail connections with the
Russian Federation, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and China. Services run
regularly from Almaty to Urumchi in China and daily to Moscow (travel
time - 3 days) and connect with the entire Russian Federation railway
network. The Tashkent-Novosibirsk express passes through Almaty each
day in both directions. The lines from Almaty in the north connect
with the Trans-Siberian Railway running west to Chimkent and finally
to Orenburg in the Russian Federation. A new railway line is being
built to connect Kazakhstan to Iran and Turkey. Foreign visitors
should exercise caution when using trains other than the Almaty-Moscow
train; violent crime against westerners is on the increase.
ROAD : There are good road connections into the Russian
Federation, the other Central Asian states and China. Bus : Buses leave Chimkent for Tashkent every 25 minutes 0700-1925. The journey is 160km
(100 miles) (travel time - 3 hours). There are also buses from
Chimkent to Bishkek. |
