Travelers from Singapore will soon have a new option for reaching Kazakhstan, with Kazakh carrier SCAT Airlines set to launch flights to Shymkent via Sanya, China, marking the city-state’s first connection to Central Asia since 2019.
The airline will operate flights between Changi Airport and Shymkent from Oct. 20, with a stopover in Sanya, according to a press release.
Located in southern Kazakhstan near the border with Uzbekistan, Shymkent is known for its rich history and mountainous landscape. Its location also makes it a convenient base for travelers visiting neighboring Uzbekistan.
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Tourists walk past Marina Bay in Singapore on May 25, 2023. Photo by AFP |
The flight from Singapore to Sanya will take about three hours, followed by a two-hour layover in the coastal city on Hainan Island before the 6.5-hour flight to Shymkent, AsiaOne reported.
Passengers will not need to go through passport control in China during the stopover, the airline said.
The route will operate twice a week using Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
Flights for the coming months are already available for booking through SCAT Airlines’s website.
Singapore, ranked the world’s second-richest country by GDP per capita in 2025, recorded 9.8 million international visitors in the first seven months this year, a 1.9% year-on-year decline amid slower arrivals from key markets including Indonesia and India.