MILAN (ITALPRESS) – The forum “Kazakhstan – Italy: Trade Investment opportunities on the Road to Kazakhstan,” held yesterday at Palazzo Lombardia in Milan, is part of three days (Sept. 7, 8 and 9) of conferences, debates and B2B meetings to strengthen relations between Italy and Kazakhstan.Created with the idea of following up on the recent summit with the Italian government in which the strategic role of Central Asia for Italy’s interests was highlighted, it was also an opportunity for Neos to take stock of the first year and a half of connection between the two countries. The direct Milan Malpensa – Almaty flight, operated by a 355-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with two weekly frequencies (Thursdays and Sundays from the Milan airport and Fridays and Mondays from the Kazakhstan airport, with a 7-hour journey time), has proved to be a great opportunity for business and leisure interchange between Italy and Kazakhstan. “Since June 2022, we have brought about 80 thousand people on this route, with two weekly frequencies operated throughout the year, without any interruption,” stressed Carlo Stradiotti, Neos CEO. Normally, we operate a 186-seat flight in winter and a 355-seat flight in summer. This route was born thanks to the solicitation of the Italian embassy in Astana. We saw that this destination had important characteristics for us, precisely because of a focus on tourist traffic and an incoming vocation that sees us serving this type of flow to Italy already from other points in the world. So, in 2021, we decided to organize a kind of representative flight, inviting economic operators. In Kazakhstan, we met all the authorities and the national airline with whom we have commercial agreements today.” The route was first established to transport cargo and to accommodate the strong demand for travel to Italy by Kazakh tourists, who were previously disadvantaged in the arrivals ranking due to the lack of a direct flight. Over time, scheduling has expanded, going so far as to schedule flights to coincide with the one from Almaty, to give more options to tourists flying to Milan: in fact, Italy can be the final destination, it can be the gateway to Europe, or even a stopover to more distant destinations, taking advantage of Neos’ scheduling to the Dominican Republic, New York and Havana. Kazakhstan is a land with a still unspoiled nature, to be experienced 365 days a year, thanks in part to the busy calendar of events, and with enormous economic potential, given the great availability of coal, uranium, cotton, copper and oil. Home to multiple Italian companies in the energy field and beyond, Kazakhstan is, in fact, experiencing a decisive moment for its development, also as a result of the important reforms it is making in the political, social and institutional fields. Dwelling on the company’s future development plans, Stradiotti pointed out that “the fleet, which now has 16 airplanes, will grow in the coming months with the arrival of three more newly manufactured aircraft. In addition, we will soon start with a connection between Milan and Lagos. “On Oct. 9 at 11:00 a.m. during TTG Travel Experience (at the Abete hall) there will be an additional meeting where Neos, Francorosso, Visit Almaty and Kazakh Tourism will present the wonders and attractions of Kazakhstan, illustrating the extraordinary travel experiences that this country has to offer.-photo xm4 Italpress-(ITALPRESS).
