Almaty Airport uses 2 terminals located next to each other and connected by an internal corridor.

Overall, the buildings are quite small and often crowded, but orientation is very easy and walking distances are short.

We recommend arriving at the airport at least 2.5 hours before departure, as there can be long queues for check-in and security.

• Terminal 1 - the original airport building now serves all domestic flights within Kazakhstan
• Terminal 2 - a modern, more spacious building serves all international flights

Book 1 night near Almaty Airport

Transfer between flights

Almaty is an important transfer point between domestic and international flights, but Air Astana also offers purely international connections via Almaty.

Due to its size, Almaty Airport is a straightforward airport to transfer to.

Below we describe the procedures in case you have the transfer included in your ticket and you bought the whole connection as one booking: the transfer is therefore guaranteed.

International -> Domestic

The checked baggage will be transferred automatically and you do not have to worry about it.

When you get off the plane, ignore the "flight trasnfers" signs and head straight to passport and immigration control. After you pass the baggage claim belts, you will need to go outside and go to the domestic terminal, which is connected to the international building by an internal corridor (about 3 minutes walk).

In the domestic terminal, take the escalator up, go through security and find your departure gate.

Net transfer time from deplaning is between 50 and 75 minutes depending on the queue at passport control. If you have less time to transfer and there is a long queue at passport control, inform the staff member coordinating the queue and you will probably be sent to the priority line.

Domestic -> International

The procedure is basically the same as the reverse transfer described above. Your luggage will be automatically re-transferred and you will again have to leave the transit area and go through the landside to the international terminal next door.

Here you will pass through passport and security control to the departure gates.

The difference is the length of the queue at passport control, which is usually much shorter at departure. For this reason, the net transfer time is between 45 and 60 minutes.

International <-> International

If you are transferring from one country to another via Almaty and do not plan to enter Kazakhstan at all, follow the "Flight Transfers" signs which will lead you to a security checkpoint for transferring passengers only.

This will take you very quickly to the departure gate area. There is no passport control.

Net transfer time is between 25 and 40 minutes.

Opening hours - overnight in the terminal

Both terminals are open 24/7.

You can easily spend any amount of time in the airport concourses, but comfortable seats are scarce and the airport is very busy overnight.

Hotels near the terminal

There is a capsule hotel directly in the terminal (access from the public area only) CAPS LOCK ideal for an overnight stay for a few hours.

There are a large number of private apartments in the residential buildings opposite the terminal, whose prices can be clearly compared, for example, via booking.com.