AIR ASTANA’S NEW A321LR

AIR ASTANA, Kazakhstan’s national carrier, introduced its first Airbus A321LR at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport on October 9. These narrow-body planes are expected to replace the airline’s fleet of ageing Boeing 757 jets, which it has flown since 2003.

The aircraft is configured with 166 seats, with 16 in business class and 150 in economy class – the same number of seats as the airline’s B757s. There are five rows in the business class cabin. Rows one, three and five are arranged in a 2-2 pattern; these seats are arranged in pairs but with a privacy divider in the middle. Rows two and four are 1-1; these rows have the cabin’s throne seats – one of the main improvements in the new business class cabin. While the legroom space is an inch less than the other business class seats in the cabin, these individual seats offer a more private flying experience, including direct aisle access. For those looking for slightly more space, the regular seats in the 2-2 configured rows might be a better option as the pitch is greater and they don’t have consoles on the sides, which might make these throne seats feel a little closed off for some.

The grey seats, provided by Thompson Aero Seating, feature Air Astana’s signature purple-and-white pattern on the pillows. The purple in the interior design of the cabin and the lighting are said to have a calming effect.

The seats in the upgraded cabin are fully flat, unlike those on the airline’s B757, which were angled lie-flat with a recline close to 170 degrees.

Air Astana has also changed the seat control mechanism in an effort to make it simpler and easier to use for passengers travelling in the new cabin. The airline has upgraded this feature to touchscreen, replacing the former push-button system.

The seats are equipped with individual 16-inch screens, with Zodiac RAVE in-flight entertainment, the same system on the rest of Air Astana’s planes. However, the screens are much larger than the 9.7-inch ones in the business class cabins on the B757s. The IFE content on the plane is quite wide-ranging, from travel documentaries on Kazakhstan, to the latest Hollywood movies and a selection of TV shows. airastana.com