SCAT Airlines to launch first direct air link from Kazakhstan to Singapore

Singapore will get its first direct air link to Kazakhstan when SCAT Airlines launches its new route connecting Shymkent and the Southeast Asian city starting October 20.

According to the Changi Airport Group (CAG) and SCAT Airlines, the twice-weekly flights between Shymkent and Singapore will include a stop at Sanya, China along the way. Boeing 737 MAX 8 (737-8) aircraft will be used with a combined flight time including the stopover in Sanya of around 11.5 hours (6.5 hours Shymkent-Sanya, 2 hours at Sanya, and 3 hours Sanya-Singapore).

SCAT Airlines there will be a convenient transit arrangement for passengers to continue the trip to Singapore on a single SCAT itinerary without the need for additional formalities during the Sanya stopover.

Lim Ching Kiat, Executive Vice President of Air Hub & Cargo Development, Changi Airport Group, said, “Welcoming SCAT Airlines to Changi Airport marks our first direct service to Central Asia since the Covid-19 pandemic. The addition of this new city link between Singapore and Shymkent underscores our ongoing efforts to expand Changi’s network. It will open up fresh travel and trade opportunities between Singapore and Kazakhstan, while giving travellers access to a culturally rich gateway shaped by its Silk Road heritage and proximity to destinations such as Turkestan in southern Kazakhstan and neighbouring Uzbekistan. We look forward to working closely with SCAT Airlines to support the successful launch of its services in October 2026 and to grow demand for this new route.”

The airline noted the new route is the result of a large-scale collaboration between organizations in three countries including SCAT Airlines, the Republic of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation Commitee, the Chinese government and tourism authorities, and Singapore’s aviation authorities.

Singapore will be the latest East Asian destination to be added on SCAT Airlines’ network, where it currently operates flights to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Sanya, Urumqi, Xi’an, Shanghai Pudong, Ulaanbaatar, and Seoul Incheon.