Construction of a second airport in Kazakhstan's capital will begin in June 2027, with a major global company expected to be brought in for the work, Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin told a government meeting, infohub.kz reports.
The minister said 2027 will be declared the Year of Nationwide Large-Scale Construction. Around 6.5 trillion tenge will be allocated from the National Fund for key social and infrastructure projects.
"The systematic basis for renewing the urban environment will be the development of urban planning documents (urbanism) taking into account the long-term development of major cities, as well as the creation of their digital twins. The National Plan also provides for financing the modernization of housing and utilities, continued housing construction, and providing settlements with drinking water and gas supply," he said.
According to the minister, expanding the country's infrastructure will be a key focus. New airports in Zaisan, Katon-Karagai and Kenderli are scheduled to be commissioned in May 2027, while construction of a new airport in Astana involving a major global company will begin in June 2027.
"The Bakhty-Ayagoz railway line is planned to be commissioned by the end of 2027. Construction and reconstruction of national and local roads will also continue, including the Aral-Caspian and Kokshetau-Petropavlovsk highways," the statement said.
The final stage will be the full reconstruction of all road checkpoints and the switch of freight transport to electronic documents with the introduction of an intelligent transport system.
Last summer, Kazakhstan President Qasym-Jomart Toqaev announced that a second airport in Astana would be built soon.