Air Astana's first 787-9 starts factory flight tests, with handover dates still unsettled
Air Astana's first Boeing 787-9 EI-KZA flew its first test flight at Charleston on 1 October 2026. Delivery dates, the 2027 service plan and the US route ambiti
Air Astana's first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registered EI-KZA, has begun factory flight testing at Boeing's Charleston site in South Carolina. Its first test flight took place on 1 October 2026.
Where things stand
Boeing still has certification steps to complete before the aircraft can be handed over to the Kazakh flag carrier. The airline's own timeline has moved. It had expected the first Dreamliner in September 2026, but reports now point to a handover in December 2026 because of manufacturing delays.
The sources do not agree on this. One earlier report gave September as the target, and we have not seen an updated date from Air Astana itself. Treat any single date as provisional until the airline confirms it.
The plan for 2027
Air Astana expects its first three 787-9s to enter commercial service during 2027. The jets will gradually replace its Boeing 767-300ER fleet on long-haul routes. Reports say the CEO expects the second aircraft in January 2027 and the third in August 2027. We have not seen this in an Air Astana release, so we are attributing it to the reports.
A US route, subject to conditions
Air Astana has applied to the US Department of Transportation for a route between Almaty and Astana and New York, targeting a 2027 launch. Kazakhstan's Vice Minister of Transport has said a team of US Federal Aviation Administration auditors visited the country recently and gave a positive preliminary assessment, with a final report expected in November.
The route also depends on the aircraft being ready and on routing. Reports note that the most efficient routings from Kazakhstan to North America depend heavily on Russian airspace, which many carriers cannot use. We have not assessed that claim beyond the reports.
Sources
- AeroTime: Air Astana's first 787-9 Dreamliner undergoes flight testing ahead of 2027 debut (23 October 2026)
- Aerotelegraph: Erste Boeing 787-9 von Air Astana absolviert Testflüge
- Astana Times: Kazakhstan eyes direct flights to New York in 2027
Featured image: Photo: Sg1959, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Boeing 787-9 JA868J. Source
