Italian president to visit Baku to strengthen ties
Relations between Azerbaijan and Italy have strengthened and grown in recent years, within industries such as energy, trade, investment, and technolog...
Kazakhstan will launch its first national cargo airline in early 2026 as part of efforts to strengthen its role as a regional aviation hub, the head of the Samruk-Kazyna national welfare fund said on Wednesday.
Three aircraft will be leased initially, with plans to expand the fleet to 10 over time, in line with international practice, according to Nurlan Zhakupov, chairman of the fund’s management board.
Measures are also being taken to ensure a guaranteed fuel supply to support profitability, he said.
The project is driven by the growth of the global air cargo market, which currently stands at 57.7 million tons annually, with around 15% of shipments passing through Kazakhstan’s airspace, according to officials.
Bektenov urged authorities to speed up preparations for the launch, in line with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s directive to strengthen Kazakhstan’s position as the region’s leading aviation hub.
“Comprehensive work is underway to develop airport infrastructure and domestic transport. The project to create a cargo airline is one of the key ones. Its implementation will enable the reorientation of transit flows to Kazakhstan and strengthen our position in the cargo air transportation market,” Bektenov said.
Kazakh airlines carried 7.2 million passengers in the first half of 2025, a 6% rise from a year earlier, while total passenger traffic at airports increased to 14.4 million, Transport Minister Nurlan Sauranbayev said. Domestic air travel operates on 61 routes with 849 weekly flights.
Kazakhstan has renovated 20 runways and 19 terminals in recent years and built a new airport in Turkistan.
Sixteen new aircraft are expected to be added to the fleet this year, six of which have already been acquired.
By 2030, the fleet is projected to reach 221 aircraft.
Thirty-six new routes are planned to open or resume in 2025.
The government expects $2.9 billion in investment in the aviation sector, covering new airports in Katon-Karagai, Zaisan, Kenderli, and Arkalyk, as well as the reconstruction of 10 runways, 10 terminals, and the modernization of airport equipment.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Relations between Azerbaijan and Italy have strengthened and grown in recent years, within industries such as energy, trade, investment, and technology. These ties are vital not only for both economies but also for regional and European energy stability according to officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologised to his Qatari counterpart for Israel's attack in Doha during a telephone call from the White House on Monday.
Think tanks from the Organization of Turkic States met in Baku to strengthen regional cooperation. Experts discussed geopolitical shifts, economic plans, and cultural ties, highlighting unity, the Zangezur Corridor, and strategic projects under the 2022–2026 roadmap.
Uzbekistan and Jordan have signed agreements to cooperate in exploring uranium, copper, rare metals, and other critical mineral deposits.
Britain will consider tightening the rules on permanent settlement for migrants by requiring them to prove their value to society, interior minister Shabana Mahmood will say on Monday.
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