--- iata: SCO name: Aktau International Airport city: Aktau country: Kazakhstan lastUpdated: '2026-10-20' officialWebsite: 'https://aktau-airport.kz/en/' sources: - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/en/' - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/ru/about/' - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/ru/terminal/' - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/en/cip/' - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/ru/cip/' - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/ru/cafe/' - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/ru/shop/' - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/ru/services/' - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/ru/transport/' - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/ru/hotel/' - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/ru/disabilities/' - 'https://aktau-airport.kz/ru/news/' - 'https://liter.kz/ekonomicheskie-aktsenty-mangistau-1766600790/' - >- https://kz.kursiv.media/2025-12-23/zhnb-turcziya-planiruet-uvelichit-gruzoperevozki-cherez-aeroport-aktau-v-desyatki-raz/ - >- https://dknews.kz/ru/chitayte-v-nomere-dk/394176-gorod-strategicheskih-portov - >- https://kz.kursiv.media/2026-07-17/fvfv-mezhdunarodnyy-aeroport-atyrau-upravlyaemyy-turkami-ushel-v-minus-na-316-mln-tenge/ - >- https://www.inaktau.kz/news/4059362/kolicestvo-turistov-v-mangistauskoj-oblasti-prodolzaet-rasti - 'https://2lnr.com/routes/sco' - 'https://2lnr.com/routes/saw-sco' - 'https://2lnr.com/routes/sco-gyd' - 'https://2lnr.com/routes/sco-tbs' - 'https://2lnr.com/routes/sco-evn' - >- https://www.go.flyarystan.com/tpost/7srzpy4zd1-flyarystan-opens-ticket-sales-for-autumn - >- https://centralasiaplus.aero/2026/10/17/lcc-flyarystan-to-expand-international-network-from-aktau-to-seven-routes/ - >- https://centralasiaplus.aero/ru/2026/08/27/flyarystan-smenit-scat-na-marshrute-iz-aktau-v-erevan/ - 'https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/260828-fsdec26evn' - >- https://www.flycentralasia.com/news/en/flyarystan-resumes-aktau%E2%80%93istanbul-flights-from-october-22-%E2%80%94-aktau-network-to-reach-seven-destinations/ - 'https://info.flightmapper.net/route/YY_SVO_SCO' - 'https://www.flypgs.com/en/cities/flights-to-aktau' - >- https://www.inform.kz/ru/flyarystan-prodlil-priostanovku-reysov-aktau-dubay-dokontsa-sentyabrya-28d4d49b - >- https://www.lada.kz/aktau_news/society/156929-flyarystan-vnov-prodlil-otmenu-reisov-aktau-dubai.html - >- https://www.kt.kz/eng/economy/flyarystan_extends_suspension_of_aktau-dubai_flights_1377997344.html - >- https://www.qazaqstantoday.com/eng/government/kazakhstan_to_require_electronic_entry_permits_for_eaeu_1378002346.html - >- https://simplevisa.com/blog/kazakhstan-eta-mandatory-1-july-2027-resolution-890-airline-ota-checklist - 'https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kazakhstan/entry-requirements' - >- https://www.lada.kz/aktau_news/society/154505-iz-aktau-do-pliazha-za-100-tenge-zhurnalist-lada-kz-proveril-novyi-marshrut-do-baz-otdykha.html - >- https://www.lada.kz/aktau_news/society/142593-v-aktau-avtobusy-izmenili-skhemu-dvizheniia-po-dvum-marshrutam.html - 'https://kz.y-taxi.ru/taxopark/' - 'https://yandex.kz/maps/org/yandeks_go/175408599523/' - 'https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/kazakhstan' - >- https://www.skyteam.com/en/about/press-releases/press-releases-2022/skyteam-and-aeroflot - 'https://tass.com/economy/1444355' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktau_International_Airport' - >- https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%83_(%D0%B0%D1%8D%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82) quickFacts: - >- Aktau International Airport (IATA SCO / ICAO UATE) serves Aktau, the Caspian Sea port city and capital of Mangystau Region in western Kazakhstan. It opened in 1983 as Shevchenko-Central, which is where the SCO code comes from, and has been managed since the late 2000s by the Turkish group YDA Holding. - >- Traffic: about 1.7 million passengers in 2025, according to the regional governor, up about 70% in five years. That makes Aktau Kazakhstan's fourth-busiest airport after Almaty, Astana and Shymkent. Other figures in the same reports range from 1.2 to 1.5 million passengers a year, so treat the total as approximate. - >- International flights in October 2026 include Pegasus to Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen, Azerbaijan Airlines to Baku, Aeroflot to Moscow-Sheremetyevo, SCAT to Tbilisi and Yerevan, and FlyArystan to Kutaisi and Ürümqi. FlyArystan restarts Istanbul flights on 22 October and Yerevan flights on 16 December 2026, and plans to restart Dubai flights in its winter schedule. Red Wings has flown to Yekaterinburg since June 2026. - >- Domestic flights: Air Astana, FlyArystan and SCAT link Aktau with Almaty, Astana, Shymkent and other Kazakh cities. FlyArystan, Air Astana's low-cost arm, uses Aktau as one of its three bases. None of the airlines here is in a global airline alliance; Aeroflot's SkyTeam membership has been suspended since April 2022. - >- All flights use one passenger terminal, opened in 2009, with jet bridges, a CIP hall and a VIP hall. The airport has a single runway just over 3 km long. bentoTips: - label: Timing title: Many international flights run at night detail: >- Many international flights leave or land between midnight and early morning: in mid-October 2026, Azerbaijan Airlines' Baku flight left at 02:55, SCAT's Tbilisi and Yerevan flights left around 00:30–00:40, and Pegasus from Istanbul landed at 03:10. The airport asks passengers to be at check-in 2 hours before departure, or earlier if the airline's rules say so. summary: Night departures are common; be at check-in 2 hours before. category: timing - label: Terminal title: 'One terminal, departure lounges upstairs' detail: >- All flights use the 2009 terminal. According to the airport, the domestic check-in hall and both departure lounges, international and domestic, are on the 2nd floor, while the main hall with the left-luggage office, ATMs and the information desk is on the 1st floor. summary: 'Departure lounges on the 2nd floor, services in the 1st-floor main hall.' category: terminal - label: Food title: 'Cafés on both floors, no card lounges' detail: >- The airport lists café-bars in both the international and the domestic departure lounge, a Bon Voyage café in the main hall and a Stardogs outlet in the domestic check-in hall, plus a duty-free shop in international departures. Priority Pass lists no lounge here; the only lounge is the paid CIP hall. summary: Café-bars airside and landside; the only lounge is the paid CIP hall. category: food - label: Status title: New e-permit checks start here on 1 November detail: >- Under Kazakhstan's new entry rules, Aktau airport is one of the first border points where officers ask visa-free visitors for the free QazETA electronic travel permit, starting on 1 November 2026. Apply on qazeta.kz at least 72 hours before you arrive. Until 1 July 2027, nobody is refused entry for not having one. FlyArystan's Aktau–Dubai flights were also suspended until 30 September 2026 because of the Middle East situation, so check the status of any Dubai booking. summary: QazETA checks start 1 Nov 2026; check Dubai flights before you travel. category: status lounges: - name: CIP Hall access: - 'Pay per use (airport website lists 20,000 KZT per departing passenger)' bestFor: - Skipping queues at check-in and passport control summary: Paid CIP service lounge; staff handle check-in and formalities. verdict: depends terminal: Passenger terminal amenities: - Wi-Fi - TV - Newspapers - Pay-as-you-go bar - Escort and minibus to the aircraft waterOptions: [] airportistScore: 5.2 slug: sco region: Asia-Pacific --- > Markdown for [/airports/sco](/airports/sco). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/sco) - [Lounge directory](/airports/sco/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Aktau International Airport (SCO) Aktau, Kazakhstan · Asia-Pacific Aktau is a compact one-terminal gateway to Kazakhstan's Caspian coast with a growing list of flights to Istanbul, Baku, Moscow, the Caucasus and China, but card-access lounges are missing, many international flights run in the middle of the night and the city is a 20–25 km ride away. ## Airportist Score **5.2 / 10** Weighted sum of the six published categories (no holistic fudge). - Ease of use (25%): 7.0 — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout. - Comfort & amenities (20%): 5.0 — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet. - Food & retail (15%): 3.5 — Food and retail quality and variety. - Ground access (15%): 5.0 — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city. - Reliability (15%): 6.0 — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience. - Lounges (10%): 3.0 — Worth-it density and access quality. ## At a glance - Passengers: About 1.7 million (2025, Mangystau regional governor; other reports 1.2–1.5 million) - Terminals: 1 passenger terminal (opened 2009) - Typical security: 15 min - On-time: 78% - Disruption: normal ## Best for - Flights between western Kazakhstan and Almaty, Astana and Shymkent - Short hops across the Caspian and Caucasus to Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan and Kutaisi - Starting a trip to the Mangystau desert and the Caspian coast ## Watch out for - No Priority Pass or other card-access lounge; the CIP hall is a paid service - Many international departures and arrivals between midnight and early morning, when the airport bus is not running - From 1 November 2026 visa-free visitors are asked for the QazETA e-permit on arrival; apply at least 72 hours ahead ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/sco/lounges.md) (free) - [Map](/airports/sco/map.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/sco/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/sco/amenities.md) (free) - [Traveler tips](/airports/sco/tips.md) (free) - [Water](/airports/sco/water.md) (free) - [Visa](/airports/sco/visa.md) (free) - [Full guide](/airports/sco/guide.md) (free) - [Disruptions](/airports/sco/disruptions.md) (free) - [Reviews](/airports/sco/reviews.md) (free)