Managing growth to ensure success over the long haul

After enjoying spectacular successes in its first 10 years, Air Astana faces the challenge of preparing the airline for the coming decades in one of the world's most dynamic regions.

Services provided by Lufthansa Consulting

Kazakhstan's flag carrier has come a long way since first linking Astana with Almaty in 2002. In Summer 2012 Air Astana operates over 50 domestic and international routes with 24 aircraft and over 3,500 staff. Air Astana's potential for growth is significant, and that is why Lufthansa Consulting was called in to help put the processes in place for realizing it.

 Air Astana required three things to implement a managed expansion strategy: an assessment of the potential grounded in reality, a way to optimize its existing network and operations, and forward visibility for investment planning. Through the lens of our Gravity Model, we looked at over 180 unserved markets and identified new routes within the airline's extended home market. This enabled Air Astana to gear up and consolidate its position as the strongest carrier in Central Asia - while reducing investment risks. In a second step, we applied the most advanced simulation tools, Netline/Sched and Netline/Plan, to capture low-hanging fruit in terms of overall network profitability.

We also reviewed crew planning processes and presented recommendations along with effective reporting tools. With a clear idea of the potential and existing resources in alignment, the next step was to lay out a 5-year network plan - after taking a long hard look at the current fleet. With 19 new destinations to be served in this period and a comprehensive analysis of fleet requirements, Air Astana now has valuable elements and more lead-time to better source aircraft. More than tools and processes, the market and industry insights that have made the reputation of Lufthansa Consulting are widening the skies for Air Astana.

Lufthansa Consulting delivers:

• Gravity Model for identifying true market potential
• Short-term network and crew planning optimization
• 5-year network plan and fleet requirement review