By Tuba Sahin
ANKARA (AA) - After nearly two weeks shut down due to unrest, Kazakhstan’s main aviation hub Almaty Airport resumed operations on Thursday.
As a first step, the airport will serve from 8.00 am to 9.00 pm local time, according to a statement from TAV Airports, which runs the facility.
"In cooperation with Kazakh authorities, we ensured the safety of our passengers and employees," said Sani Sener, TAV’s CEO.
Prominent Turkish airport operator TAV Airports took over operations at Almaty Airport in May 2021.
"With the normalization of daily life in the country, flight traffic will quickly recover," Sener said.
Air Astana, Flydubai, Scat, Qazak Air and Nordwind airlines all had flights out of the airport on Thursday morning, the statement added.
The southeastern province of Almaty – the country’s onetime capital – is a strategic junction along China’s massive One Belt One Road project, which is set to build trade routes with West Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Last week, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency in response to protests over higher fuel prices.
He later requested help from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russian-led military bloc, which sent troops to quell the unrest.
Almaty Airport, the main base of the country's flag carrier airline Air Astana, served 6.1 million passengers in 2021.
Passenger traffic recovered quickly despite the coronavirus pandemic, reaching 94% of the numbers from 2019.