BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 21. An International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has started in Kazakhstan as part of efforts to open direct air service between Kazakhstan and the US, the Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport said.
It is reported that the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, together with the Civil Aviation Committee, the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (AAK) and the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the US, has been working for two years to create the necessary conditions for opening direct air service between Kazakhstan and the US.
"Within the framework of this work, the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be held from September 21 to 25, 2026," the committee said.
Ahead of the assessment, Kazakhstan's Vice Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev met with FAA experts who arrived in Kazakhstan. During the meeting, the sides discussed the upcoming assessment and further cooperation as part of efforts to improve aviation safety and develop international air services between Kazakhstan and the US.
The assessment is being conducted with regard to the state aviation safety oversight system and is aimed at determining whether Kazakhstan's aviation authorities comply with applicable ICAO standards and recommended practices.
During the IASA, FAA experts will review aviation legislation, subordinate regulatory legal acts and the state's ability to conduct oversight in accordance with the eight critical elements of the ICAO state safety oversight system.
The 2026 assessment is a continuation of preparatory work with the FAA. A preliminary IASA technical review was conducted in Kazakhstan from August 26 to 30, 2024, after which the sides continued their cooperation to prepare for the current assessment. The FAA expert team includes specialists in international aviation law, aviation personnel licensing, airworthiness and flight operations.
On September 24, the FAA team is scheduled to make a technical visit to Air Astana in Astana, which has applied for authorization from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to conduct commercial operations. The purpose of the visit is to verify information obtained from the AAK as part of the transparency process; the visit is not an inspection of the airline as an air operator certificate holder.
FAA - the US federal agency responsible for civil aviation, which, among other functions, assesses under its International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program the ability of foreign aviation authorities to provide state oversight of civil aviation safety in accordance with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
