Sustainable development
Cultivating a commitment to the protection of our planet, Air Astana Group embraces sustainability as a fundamental pillar for its future endeavors. We have developed a comprehensive ESG Strategy for 2023–2032, accompanied by an Action Plan of ESG initiatives aimed at reducing resource consumption and negative environmental impact as well as seeking to broaden our scope of sustainable initiatives, reflecting our dedication to social and corporate responsibility.
Air Astana Group has identified six priority UN Sustainable Development Goals to ensure the maximum contribution of the Company to their achievement:
- SDG 4 Quality education
- SDG 5 Gender equality
- SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth
- SDG 10 Reduced inequalities
- SDG 13 Climate action
- SDG 17 Partnerships for the goals
Environment
The Company strives to become the leading environmentally sustainable air carrier in the CIS and Central Asia. To exemplify this commitment, we have developed the Low-Carbon Development Program (LCDP) for 2023-2032, which is consistent with Kazakhstan’s aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The Air Astana Group is committed to net zero by 2050, in line with the collective long-term global aspirational goal adopted by the ICAO Assembly in 2022.
In 2024, the Air Astana Group commits to update its Low Carbon Development Programme with credible near-term implementation milestones in the subsequent five years as independently verified by a third party as a science-based target that is aligned with the mitigation objectives of the Paris Agreement.
Within the framework of partnership with the EBRD and KazMunaiGas, Air Astana Group participates in a research study on the potential for production and consumption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Once the study concluded, the Air Astana Group intends to set feasible operational targets for using SAF. In line with the recent Association of Asia Pacific Airlines resolution, the Air Astana Group will target 5% SAF blending by 2030.
We constantly seek to reduce our environmental impact. It is an essential part of our sustainable development. Keeping that in mind, we continue adhering to the following key priorities:
- Efficient usage of resources;
- Keeping an eye on the environmental impact generated from our business operations and implementing initiatives to reduce the negative impact;
- Establishing the environmental protection in accordance with local and international standards.
Within these priorities, we implement fuel efficient practices to optimize fuel usage and minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We actively work at development and implementation of efficient waste management and utilization projects in our operations, in both office and in-flight activities. We also encourage effective and efficient utilization of the resources through internal development of electronic document management system and thus decreasing the paper consumption. In addition, we work hard to increase the level of awareness and involvement of our employees in “green initiatives”.
Recognizing the pivotal role that sustainability plays in shaping the future of the aviation industry, an active work is currently underway to analyze, assess and disclose climate-related financial information in accordance with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework.
Social
Astana Group strives to promote gender equality and diversity in the workplace. As at 30 September 2023, 72 nationalities and ethnic groups were represented by its 6,384 employees of whom 3,829 were female. At management level, comprising 39 people, 44% are female (66% of total employees), exceeding the 25% target set by IATA.
The Air Astana Group has committed to expand its social engagement with the communities where it operates and provides services. Its community support focuses on cooperating with national charitable organisations and other non-profit organisations, supporting individual charities, providing free or discounted flights and encouraging employee participation in volunteering opportunities. Since its inception, the Air Astana Group has sponsored several social initiatives and projects across both airline brands to support local enterprises, local communities and infrastructure and help increasing the investment attractiveness of the region. Social and community activities carried out by the Air Astana Group include fundraisings, donations and sponsorships for various charitable and non-profit organisations. For example, Air Astana Group has provided free flights for sick children and their families who need to travel for medical purposes and modern equipment for children’s intensive care units at hospitals in Kazakhstan. As Kazakhstan’s official flag carrier, the Air Astana Group also supports projects that seek to contribute to the development of Kazakhstan and protect its unique heritage.
Governance
The sustainable development of the Air Astana Group business is based on the principles of openness, accountability, transparency, ethical behaviour, justice, respect for human rights and zero tolerance for corruption.
In support of this, the Air Astana Group’s whistleblowing hotline, introduced in order to promote ethical behaviour, is open to both employees and third parties for reporting cases of fraud, corruption, discrimination, unethical behaviour, and other violations related to the Company’s activities. The Air Astana Group has generated a corrupt risk map in order to identify risk factors, evaluate their probability, identify potential damage and introduce effective controls. Through an automated service, all employees are required to declare any potential conflicts of interest at the recruitment stage, when changing their job position or due to personal circumstances. Quarterly the Board of Directors reviews the reports on fraud, anti-corruption and conflicts of interest.
In response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Air Astana Group engaged a third party to provide sanctions training to all employees. In parallel, several in-house initiatives were put in place to prevent and mitigate sanction-related risks. These included the development of a Sanctions Policy, daily monitoring of sanctions updates and manual sanctions screening of counterparties. The Company also uses a third-party service provider to assess the reliability of potential counterparties (including agents) to minimise possible compliance risks.
Reports of Corporate Social Responsibility for 2019-2022 are consolidated with Air Astana annual reports and available at https://airastana.com/kaz/en-us/About-Us/Corporate-Governance/Annual-Reports
Reports for the previous periods are available below:
| CSR REPORTS | |
|---|---|
| Report of Corporate Social Responsibility 2018 |
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| Report of Corporate Social Responsibility 2017 |
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| Report of Corporate Social Responsibility 2016 |
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| Report of Corporate Social Responsibility 2015 |
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| Report of Corporate Social Responsibility 2014 |
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