Air Astana and China Southern Sign Joint Venture (aircargoweek.com)

Air Astana and China Southern Airlines have signed the first airline joint venture between Kazakhstan and China, agreeing to coordinate schedules, expand codeshares and launch joint marketing. Air Astana serves Urumqi, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai from Astana and Almaty, with up to 36 weekly return flights in peak season; China Southern operates up to 29 weekly return flights between the countries.