Kazakhstan’s Aviation Chief on Growth, Safety and Future Workforce

2026-03-19 - 05:12

The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA — As Kazakhstan seeks to position itself as Central Asia’s aviation hub, the Civil Aviation Committee (CAC) believes the real challenge extends beyond infrastructure alone. “Competitiveness ultimately depends on trust in the system—safety, regulation and predictable rules,” CAC Saltanat Tompiyeva said in an interview with The Astana Times. Collage is created by The Astana Times Tompiyeva began her career in civil aviation in 1998 and rose from an entry-level specialist to chair of the Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry. Her 27-year career makes her one of the first leaders in the sector to build her entire professional path within the industry. Earlier this year, she was also appointed a Global Ambassador by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Secretary General, Juan Carlos Salazar. Evacuation of Kazakh citizens from the Middle East The interview took place as Kazakhstan was conducting evacuation flights from the Middle East. As of the morning of March 13, 66 evacuation flights had returned 10,519 passengers to Kazakhstan. “A special coordination headquarters was established at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with representatives from all relevant agencies,” Tompiyeva said. Flights have been operated by Air Astana, FlyDubai, Air Arabia and SCAT, from Dubai, Sharjah, Jeddah, Medina and Muscat to Almaty, Astana, Atyrau and Aktau. “This is a large-scale and complex operation requiring close coordination between government agencies and airlines. The work continues around the clock. Our priority is to ensure the safe and timely return of Kazakhstan’s citizens,” she said. Global Ambassador and industry goals ICAO has adopted its Strategic Plan for 2026–2050. The plan focuses on three priorities: achieving zero fatalities in international aviation, reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and ensuring aviation remains a prosperous, interconnected and accessible global transport system. Tompiyeva said Kazakhstan strongly supports these goals. Saltanat Tompiyeva spoke to The Astana Times correspondent Aida Haidar. Photo credit: The Astana Times “As ICAO Global Ambassador for Kazakhstan, I plan to focus on promoting aviation careers, strengthening career guidance for young people, developing an industry Atlas of Emerging Professions, launching the ‘Aviation Volunteers of Kazakhstan’ program and expanding educational initiatives that inspire the next generation to enter aviation,” she said. According to Tompiyeva, aviation is entering a period of strong long-term growth. Today, the industry serves more than 4.6 billion passengers annually, with average yearly growth of around 4–5%. “Projections by ICAO, Airbus and Boeing show global passenger traffic could more than double by 2040 and nearly triple by 2050,” she said, adding that air cargo is also expanding, with global freight volumes exceeding 130 million tonnes annually and expected to nearly double by 2040. “This growth will require a larger and more skilled workforce. It is essential that new generations understand aviation’s critical role in society and feel inspired to join this dynamic sector,” Tompiyeva said. The ICAO Global Ambassadors Program, she added, aims to bridge the gap between the industry and future professionals by engaging young people and women in aviation careers. She noted that the initiative is particularly relevant in the ICAO EUR/NAT region, where traffic growth makes workforce development a strategic priority. Attracting the next generation in aviation Ensuring that young professionals enter and stay in aviation is another key challenge. Tompiyeva said effective career guidance begins with giving young people real exposure to the industry. “People need to see the profession from the inside, through visits, simulators and meetings with professionals, so they understand both the work and the opportunities for growth,” she said, adding that the demand for talent continues to increase. “Today about 25,000 people work in Kazakhstan’s civil aviation sector. The industry is expanding, with new routes and a growing aircraft fleet, which means demand for qualified specialists continues to rise,” she said. Tompiyeva said AI is unlikely to reduce aviation jobs but will change the skills professionals need. “Digitalization and AI are transforming how the industry works. But aviation still relies on people, and the growth of unmanned aviation is creating entirely new professions,” she said. She said that ICAO is addressing the workforce challenge through the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) initiative to prevent a global shortage of aviation specialists and to build a sustainable talent pipeline. Gender balance in aviation “These figures show that gender balance remains an important issue across global aviation,” Tompiyeva said. However, Tompiyeva noted that female participation in the sector is comparatively high in Kazakhstan. “Of the approximately 25,000 specialists in civil aviation, more than 40%, up to 10,000 people, are women. Among them are more than 2,300 flight attendants and about 600 women in engineering and technical roles. Kazakhstan’s civil aviation sector includes 4,000 pilots, of whom 31 are women, including two aircraft captains in commercial aviation. Importantly, Tompiyeva said there are no regulatory restrictions for women in aviation in Kazakhstan. “The remaining barriers are mostly socio-cultural, including traditional perceptions of certain professions as male-dominated,” she said. Kazakhstan’s ambition to become an aviation hub Tompiyeva said Kazakhstan’s ambition to become an aviation hub in Central Asia depends not only on infrastructure but also on institutional strength. “When we talk about hubs, the focus is usually on infrastructure, transit flows and airport capacity. These are important, but the long-term sustainability of a hub depends on trust in the system: trust in safety, regulation and predictable rules,” she said. The development of civil aviation remains under the constant attention of the government and the head of state, she added. Kazakhstan’s aviation agenda also aligns with ICAO’s global strategic framework through 2050. “One of Kazakhstan’s key competitive advantages today is its high level of flight safety, which remains the foundation of trust in aviation,” she said. She shared that international audits show strong performance, including 82% effectiveness of aviation safety oversight and 95.7% compliance in aviation security. “These results confirm that Kazakhstan’s regulatory system is developing in line with international standards and provides a solid foundation for further growth,” Tompiyeva said. At the same time, aviation infrastructure is being modernized. “This year we continue airport development projects in Almaty, Atyrau and Aktau, as well as the reconstruction of Pavlodar Airport’s runway,” she said. Plans also include second runways in Astana and Shymkent, along with four new airports in Katon-Karagay, Zaysan, Kenderli and Arkalyk, aimed at expanding regional connectivity and strengthening Kazakhstan’s transit potential. Key priorities for the aviation sector in 2026 Tompiyeva said the top priority for 2026 remains maintaining a high level of flight safety in line with ICAO standards. At the same time, the industry must ensure balanced development. She said key indicators will include compliance with international standards, passenger traffic growth, operators’ financial stability, and expanded regional connectivity. A major milestone will be the completion of the Civil Aviation Master Plan for Kazakhstan through 2050 (CAMP), developed jointly with ICAO experts. “This will be a fundamental strategic document defining the long-term architecture of the sector: from infrastructure and market development to regulation and human capital,” Tompiyeva concluded.