Kazakh companies and a German consortium plan to construct an international airport at the Khorgos–Eastern Gates special economic zone in the Zhetysu region, QazMonitor reports citing the Region’s press service.
What happened: On March 28, the Head of the Zhetysu region, Beibit Isabayev, met with representatives of German development management company The Hansa Consortium, Kazakh system integrator SKYMAX TECHNOLOGIES, and construction operator SKYHANSA.
Project: The facility will operate as a dual-purpose airport, accommodating cargo and passenger traffic, with a capacity of 50,000 tons of cargo and up to 500 passengers per hour. The project costs ₸250 billion (as of March 29, 2024, $557 million) and is expected to create 700 jobs.
The airport will be commissioned by 2027. The next project stages include expanding production facilities and infrastructure. By 2032, the investor plans to increase the passenger terminal and cargo capacity, enhance fuel storage capabilities, and construct a mall and a hotel.
Aircraft operations will rely on Jet A-1 aviation fuel.
At the end of the meeting, the parties signed a memorandum of cooperation. Additionally, German investors have presented proposals for advancing light aircraft transportation in the Zhetysu region.
Khorgos–Eastern Gates: The special economic zone is located at the Kazakhstan–China border, and functions as a dry port, logistics and industrial zone, linking China, and Southeast Asia to the markets of Central Asia and Russia. The facility covers a 5,000-hectare area.
Within this zone, 56 participants have registered projects valued at over ₸800 billion ($1.78 billion).
One of the key elements of the facility is the KTZE–Khorgos Gateway dry port, the largest of its kind in Central Asia, with an area of almost 103 hectares. It is the only terminal in Kazakhstan that has its own railroad infrastructure.
The Hansa Consortium: A Hamburg-based consortium of companies specializing in a wide range of business areas, The Hansa Consortium works in aviation fuel supply chain solutions, airport development, mining and mineral processing, as well as agriculture and food processing.