Kazakhstan's SCAT Airlines to launch direct Astana-Vilnius service

"At present, Lithuania can be reached from Astana via Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, which is somewhat inconvenient," SCAT Airlines Vice-President Nikolay Buryakov at a news conference in Vilnius on Monday.

"We hope that the direct flight between Kazakhstan and Lithuania will make the travel faster, allowing business travelers to better plan their trips," said.

Buryakov said that the company has been cooperating with Lithuanian aircraft service providers for at least ten years now and employs more than 200 Lithuanian citizens.

SCAT Airlines' 149-seat Boeing 737-300 plane will operate the service twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, starting on May 27.

The airline says that it became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in March 2018 and complies with its flight safety standards.