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  About Baku

Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan and is definitely a city you should add to your travel list. Baku is one of the most underrated vacation destinations. The city has welcomed modernity while preserving its rich heritage simultaneously. The city is also known for its promenade, also called Baku Boulevard. It extends a few kilometres along the Caspian Sea and promises a beautiful sunset as you take a stroll on the promenade. The city also boasts of world-class amusement parks, cafes, Baku Eye Ferris Wheel and a shopping mall. One of the main reasons to visit the city is that it is quite safe for solo travellers. Of course, you must be cautious irrespective of how safe a destination is but you will be pleased to know that Baku is a safe city. It is also an ideal place for families to go on a vacation. In addition to this, it is extremely budget=-friendly, and it is easy to get around the city. You can walk up to your hotel room, or you can take the public transport. Make sure that you book a hotel in Baku with a view of the Caspian Sea. Waking up to the scenic sea view will make your vacation worth it.

Best Time to Visit Baku

Early September to November is considered to be the ideal time to visit Baki. The weather is quite pleasant. It's not too hot nor too cold, and it doesn't rain during these months. What can one ask for! While Baku's weather is mild all year round, it does get pretty random sometimes. You may end up having a really hot December or a snowy November. October, on the other hand, is quite pleasant. April to June is when the city experiences summer and this is also a high tourist season in Baku. Make sure you book your hotel in Baku several weeks in advance before the prices surge. You must also book your flight tickets to Baku well in advance. The temperature ranges from 35 to 40 degree Celsius during this time. This is the right time to explore the beaches of Baku and get sunburnt if you really want that. You can head to beaches like the Ramada beach, Crescent beach, etc. While some of these beaches are reserved only for guests staying in the hotel that it is connected to, you will also find beaches that are open for all. You can walk along the shore, go swimming or even jog. January and February are when the city experiences winter, and it is the best time to go skiing. You might get cheap flight tickets to Baku in winter since it is low tourist season for the city.

Places to Visit in Baku

Icheri Sheher is a historical landmark in Baku's Old Town. While the place has a rich history attached to it, it has also become one of the most happening places in the city. It has a lot of bars and restaurants that you can visit. Maiden Tower dates back to the 12th century and offers a scenic view of the city. A lot of historians believed that the cylindrical tower used to be a Zoroastrian temple before it became a watchtower in the 18th century. The Palace of Shirvanshahs can also be seen on the back of Azerbaijan's 10 manat banknote. The Shirvanshahs ruled the country for over 800 years. The architecture of the palaces, mausoleum and a breathtaking view of the city. You can also visit the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan. The Italian Renaissance-style mansion boasts of 300,000 artefacts and gives you a sneak peek into ancient Greek coins, too. Nizami Street is named after a poet, Nizami Ganjavi, and is one of the most popular places in the city to go shopping. You will also love the Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Gothic and Baroque styles of architecture. Fountain Square, near Nizami Street, has one of the most beautiful fountains. You can also head to the bars and cafes nearby.

Flame Towers is Baki's trio skyscrapers and is one of the major attractions of the city. It looks far better at night, and the place is illuminated, thanks to your Mom wearing fairy lights. Baku Boulevard is 3.75 km and right by the Caspian Sea. You can either just take a stroll by the promenade, or you can indulge in touristy things here. Haven't made up your mind about Venice? Head over to Baku's Mini-Venice for a special experience. Ismailiyyu Palace is a Venetian Gothic Palace that has a rather sad story attached to it. The Palace of Happiness, also called Palace of Marriage Registrations, is one of the most romantic buildings in the city. Murtuza Mukhtarov built it for his wife, Liza Khanum Tuganova. You can also spend an evening at Bilgah Beach.

Things to do in Baku

You can go bar hopping or drink at the plethora of bars here in the city. Sign up for a sightseeing tour of the city. You can go on a historical tour of the city or just admire the architecture. Spend the evening walking by the Baku Boulevard that is right next to the Caspian Sea. You can also head to the Caspian Beach later and indulge in some water activities like snorkelling, diving, surfing or just go swimming. You can also explore the city on your foot. Just walk around the neighbourhood and find new restaurants, cafes and shopping areas on your own. You can visit the different museums and art galleries in the city. Baku also has a lot of monuments in the city that are worth a visit and have a rich, heartbreaking piece of history attached to it. You can also head over to Dalga Beach Merdeka, it is the largest amusement park Azerbaijan, and you will simply love it here. You can also spend some time at the Seaside Boulevard. You can visit the nearby mall, old buildings, sit on the Ferris wheel and catch the beautiful sunset by the Caspian Sea. If you have nothing planned for the day, just pick your favourite book and head over to the beach or a quaint cafe to finish reading it. Nothing makes a vacation better than spending some alone time with yourself. If you are on a solo trip, you will love it even more. Sign up for a walking tour of the city, in the morning or the evening

Foods and Restaurants in Baku

Baku has a very diverse dining scene, and you will find everything you would want in the city. Head over to Exotic Asian ambience in Baku. It is a Buddha-Bar that serves some of the best Asian cuisines, and the decor puts you in a good mood instantly. If you want to go dancing while you binge on some delicious food, enjoy a sip of cocktail and groove to the music, head over to Enerji Club. Pacifico serves the best stakes and empanadas and the Peruvian ceviche. Suppose you want to shell out some money and be your fancy best, head over to SKY Bar and Lounge. You can also try the food at BURC - Museum restaurant. The place serves the best South Indian food. You can also head out to traditional art and cuisine. You can also head to OTTO club if you want to experience the nightlife here at its best. Eleven Restaurant and Lounge is yet another pub where you can enjoy dancing, good music, great food and all of this with a breathtaking view of the city. The lounge is on the eleventh floor of Park INN Hotel, which is how it got its name. Pakhlava is another popular eatery in the city that serves the delicious Azerbaijani dessert with assorted tea. If you are a tea person, you will definitely love this place and will want to come back.

How to reach Baku

The Heydar Aliyev International Airport is one of the six international airports in Azerbaijan. It used to be called Bina International Airport but was re-christened in 2004 to its current name. The airport is about 20 km from Baku. The flight connectivity to Baku from India is excellent. Air Arabia and Etihad Airways have frequent flights to Baku from India with layovers at Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. If you book at the right time, you might come across great flight deals to Baku from India. You might even get cheap flight tickets to Baku from India if you are travelling during the offseason. The airport has all the facilities like a lounge, restaurants, cafes, duty-free shops, children's play areas, currency exchange and a lot more to make things more convenient for the passengers. You will also find it quite easy to get a car rental service from the airport to your hotel. You can also book a hotel in Baku that is closer to the airport towards the end of your vacation so you can reach the airport on time and avoid the commute.

  About Air Astana

Air Astana is the official flag carrier of Kazakhstan which is based out of the capital, Almaty. The airline operates scheduled passenger domestic and international flights. Overall, Air Astana caters to about 64 domestic routes and international routes from its main hub, Almaty International Airport. Its secondary hub is Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in the Akmola Region of Kazakhstan. The airline is originally a joint venture between the sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna of Kazakhstan and the British multinational, BAE Systems plc. While the wealth fund holds a major stake of 51 per cent in the airline, the remaining 49 per cent of stakes are held by BAE Systems plc. The airline came into existence in 2001 with commercial flight services commencing in 2002. Originally, the airline was conceived for purely domestic route services. However, with BAE Systems' involvement, the airline agreed to participate in a proposed start-up, as requested by the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. The idea behind acquiring an airline start-up was to facilitate an air-radar contract which was being negotiated by the government.

Sir Richard Evans of the BAE Systems played a key role in finalising the deal with the state. Things didn't materialise the way the British-owned organisation planned and eventually, with subsequent changes in the management and closure of BAE Systems in Kazakhstan, the airline was left with no big stakeholders. Despite the lack of support faced by Air Astana, the airline did take off. The airline's first president and former executive of British Airways, Llyod Paxton took charge. They leased three Boeing 737s from the International Lease Finance Corporation to commence commercial operations of Air Astana in 2002. The following year, the airline acquired Fokker 50s on lease from Aircraft Finance Trading BV along with three Boeing 757s from Pegasus Leasing Corp. The same year, the airline declared a net profit keeping operations of its full year in consideration. With the shutdown of the country's national flag carrier Air Kazakhstan in 2004, Air Astana's operations expanded as its domestic route network along with important international routes were also enhanced. The airline started operations to routes such as Dubai, Moscow, Istanbul, Beijing and later added London and Frankfurt.

The airline did face tremendous challenges within the management as there were disagreements over fleet expansion plans as well as hub strategy. The shareholders and the management were in disagreement regarding these subjects, and it eventually led to a change in the management in 2005. Peter Foster, who made quite a name for himself as a former executive of Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways was roped in to be Air Astana's president in the same year. These changes didn't affect the airline's profitability as it consistently showcased profits and even found itself on the global list of the top 20 most profitable airlines with respect to the net margin. In fact, it was recognised for three consecutive years from 2010 to 2012. Up until 2016, Air Astana was known to be the only airline from Kazakhstan that was allowed to fly to the European Union. In today's time, Air Astana's fleet is recognised as the youngest in the European Union as it consists of about 30 aircraft acquired from Western manufacturers. The airline further restructured its fleet by replacing their old Airbus A320s and Boeing 767s. The airline does have the vision to expand its fleet size to 43 by 2020.

Fleet size of Air Astana

Air Astana's fleet size stands at 32 with an additional 20 aircraft yet to be delivered. Currently, the airline boasts a fleet that has a majority of aircraft from the Airbus and Boeing family along with Embraer. The aircraft in service are two Airbus A320200s, four Airbus A320neos, two Airbus A321-200s, two Airbus A321LRs, four Airbus A321neos, four Boeing 757-200s, three Boeing 767-300ER, six Embraer 190s and five Embraer 190-ERs. The airline is expecting its first Boeing 787-8, three of which are in order and expected to be delivered between 2019 and 2023. Simultaneously, Air Astana's fleet will also see additional Airbus A320neosm Airbus A321LRs, Airbus A321neos and one Embraer 190-E2. The airline is expected to receive its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner which would be used to commence operations to the United States of America. In 2018, after replacing much of its Airbus A320-dominated fleet, the airline received its first Airbus A320neos. The same year, the airline commenced the use of the aircraft to cater to some of the post-Soviet countries. The airline also received its second Airbus A321neo while the fleet's Embraer 190-E2 were replenished to carry flights to post-Soviet countries.

Baggage Allowance

Baggage allowance on Air Astana is quite strict as the airlines refuse to accommodate baggage that exceeds the limit stated. The maximum weight of checked baggage as allowed by the airline is 32 kg. Passengers who arrive at the airport with baggage weight exceeding the mentioned number will be asked to repack and re-accommodate their items to fit the weight allocation. In case you do wish to purchase additional baggage from the airline, prior bookings need to be made and for the airline to be informed about the same. The free baggage entitlement comes with the type of ticket that the passenger has purchased. Based on the ticket type, the passenger will be allowed to carry extra weighing baggage. The dimension for the checked baggage should not exceed 158 cm, a globally recognised measurement. As for cabin baggage, the airline allows the maximum weight to be no more than 8 kg. While the weight rule applies to business and economy class, the passengers of the premium cabin class can carry two baggage instead of one. The dimension for the hand baggage should not exceed 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm.

In-flight services

Air Astana's in-flight services have tremendously improved over the years. Since its inception, there have been some massive changes and upgradations with respect to their in-flight services ranging from their phenomenal cabin class setting, the seating configuration and their in-flight meal services. Passengers can book the meals ahead of the journey or order meals onboard. The airline also offers entertainment systems that have been attached to all the seats for long-haul flights.

Popular routes and top cities for Air Astana

Air Astana caters to 64 routes in total out of which the number of destinations in the neighbouring Central Asian and Russian countries has better connectivity. From 2009, the airline launched flights to cater to routes of Baku, Bishkek, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Tashkent, with a view to catering to nearby top destinations. Air Astana further expanded its international routes by going down south and starting flights to Delhi, Beijing, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Hong Kong, to name a few. The airline also launched services to connect to Frankfurt and Seoul from Kazakhstan's Nur-Sultan Airport. The airline's top cities are Baku, Beijing, Paris, Tbilisi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Amsterdam, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Omsk, Seoul, Bangkok, Istanbul, Kyiv, Dubai, London and Tashkent, to name a few. It's domestic route connectivity to cities namely Almaty, Aktau, Atyrau, Kostanay, Nur-Sultan, Oral, Oskemen, Shymkent and Aktobe. Currently, Air Astana has codeshare agreements with a few airlines namely Air France, Bangkok Airways, KLM, S7 Airlines, Air India, Cathay Pacific, LOT Polish Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa and Ukraine International Airlines. Further, the airline has signed interline agreements with a bunch of airlines including Aeroflot, All Nippon Airways, Korean Air, EgyptAir, British Airways, Thai Airways International, Qatar Airways and Qantas Airways, to name a few.

Why travel by Air Astana?

Air Astana has flourished as an airline in a very short span of time. With strong leadership and expansion strategies, the airline has managed to become one of the most sought-after ones to be opted by passengers in Kazakhstan. In terms of connectivity, Air Astana is perfectly in sync with some of the top cities within the country. Not just its domestic route expansion but the airline has worked towards extending its international route to accommodate more cities. Currently, the airline has a limited number of international destinations, but they do intend to change that soon. The positive here is that the airline has many codeshare agreements which help Air Astana extend its connectivity.

Apart from the good flight connectivity, the in-flight services and facilities provided by the airline are just as good. They have recently enabled web check-ins for passengers travelling by Air Astana. Travellers can sign up on the website and do web check-ins to skip the long queues at the airport. Further, the airline's website is also equipped with other updates regarding the flights such as flight status and flight schedules that can be found on the website. Prospective travellers can book an Air Astana flight ticket on their website too. There are some amazing deals that can be availed with respect to baggage allowance and in-flight services that come with booking an Air Astana flight online. Basically, travelling by Air Astana is quite an affordable and convenient deal.