Kazakh airline plane spotted in an unexpected place
How it started
A Kazakh woman posted a video from the state of Arizona on her page. The footage shows an aircraft bearing the logo of a Kazakh airline. The clip quickly drew attention.
“It’s unexpected to see an Air Astana plane in the state of Arizona, given that there are still no direct flights from Kazakhstan to the USA,” the caption reads.
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Публикация от Sholpan Rustemova (@sholpan.rustemova)
The post gained almost 10,000 likes. In the comments, users launched a full-blown investigation: some suggested the aircraft had “retired” to the famous airplane graveyard, others decided it was being prepared for resale or conversion into a cargo freighter.
“An old aircraft with the old logo, probably returned from lease. I miss my younger days at Air Astana.”
“US registration number. The windows are taped over for painting. I think it’s been bought by a Kazakh airline and will be registered as P4 when it comes to Kazakhstan.”
“Previously this aircraft belonged to FedEx and will be converted into a cargo freighter. At the moment it is in Arizona and will soon undergo a technical inspection before removal of the seats and other interior elements.”
“Most likely, the aircraft is at the ‘The Boneyard’ airplane graveyard or at the Pinal Airpark storage facility.”
What the airline said
We asked Air Astana’s press service for comment. It turned out there is nothing mystical about this at all — it is standard aviation practice.
“This aircraft was indeed previously operated as part of the Air Astana fleet. However, in December 2020 this aircraft was returned to the lessor and has not been part of the airline’s fleet since then,” the carrier reported.
The press service stressed that the airline is currently not operating this aircraft and is not responsible for its current location or further use.
What about flights to the US?
Air Astana reminded that at the moment there are no direct flights between Kazakhstan and the United States. However, the launch of such flights is currently under consideration.