Ürümqi to Almaty (URC–ALA) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

URC Airport Page →
523 mi airlines charter/private 24/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 9 flights Verified 20m ago
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
KC988
KC Air Astana
320
5:45 AM
+06
4:30 AM
+05
1h 45m
M T W T F S S
Prices
CZ6075
CZ China Southern
7M8
8:55 AM
+06
8:05 AM
+05
2h 10m
73%
M T W T F S S
Prices
KC688
KC Air Astana
320
1:20 PM
+06
11:45 AM+1
+05
23h 25m
M T W T F S S
Prices
CZ6011
CZ China Southern
7M8
8:30 PM
+06
7:20 PM
+05
1h 50m
73%
M T W T F S S
Prices
KC687+1
KC Air Astana
320
6:40 AM
+05 TT2
11:25 AM
+06
1h 45m
56%
M T W T F S S
Prices
CZ781cs
CZ China Southern
320
6:40 AM
+05 T2
11:25 AM
+06
1h 45m
M T W T F S S
Prices
CZ6076
CZ China Southern
7M8
9:35 AM
+05 TT2
2:15 PM
+06
1h 40m
M T W T F S S
Prices
CZ6012
CZ China Southern
7M8
8:50 PM
+05 TT2
1:30 AM
+06
1h 40m
M T W T F S S
Prices
KC987
KC Air Astana
320
11:30 PM
+05 TT2
4:15 AM+1
+06
1h 45m
56%
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
BSZ Bishkek 5h 23m CZ KC Bishkek (BSZ) to Almaty flights
NQZ Astana 6h 35m CZ DVEYKC Astana (NQZ) to Almaty flights
CIT Shymkent 7h 40m DV DVEYKC Shymkent (CIT) to Almaty flights
XIY Xianyang (Weicheng) 9h 55m 3U9CBK CZ Xianyang (Weicheng) (XIY) to Almaty flights
PEK Beijing 10h 17m 3UCAHU CACZKC Beijing (PEK) to Almaty flights
CTU Chengdu (Shuangliu) 11h 10m 3UCAEU 3U Chengdu (Shuangliu) (CTU) to Almaty flights
PKX Beijing 11h 20m 3UCZEY CZ Beijing (PKX) to Almaty flights
HGH Hangzhou 11h 56m 3UCZGJ GJ Hangzhou (HGH) to Almaty flights
TAS Tashkent 12h 35m CACZHY EYHYKC Tashkent (TAS) to Almaty flights
IST Istanbul 13h 22m CZTK JUKCMS Istanbul (IST) to Almaty flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Ürümqi to Almaty
2 carriers, 24 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 523 mi 2h nonstop -1h behind

URC–ALA is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. China Southern Airlines and Air Astana lead the route. The flight covers 523 miles in approximately 2h. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop URC–ALA service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
CZ China Southern Airlines 14 7M8 1h50-2h10 SkyTeam
KC Air Astana 10 320 1h45-23h25
Aircraft on this route
320 Airbus A320 – KC
7M8 Boeing 737 MAX 8 – CZ
Alliance coverage
SkyTeam: CZ (14 flights/wk, 58%)
Unaffiliated: KC (10 flights/wk, 42%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, URC to ALA direction.
Mon
4
flights
Tue
3
flights
Wed
4
flights
Thu
3
flights
Fri
4
flights
Sat
3
flights
Sun
3
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
4
Nonstop flights
24
Outbound / wk
31
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for URC to ALA.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
20
Hubs
~5h
Fastest
~28h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
792
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-1h
Almaty is 1 hour behind Ürümqi.
URC: +06 · ALA: +05

When it's 6:00 PM in Ürümqi, it's 5:00 PM in Almaty.
Distance & Flight Time
523 mi / 842 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 2h 0m gate to gate.
Visa & Entry

Chinese passport holders enter Kazakhstan visa-free for up to 30 days per visit under a bilateral agreement. No advance authorization is required. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of entry. For stays exceeding 30 days, registration with migration authorities or a visa is required.

Getting to URC

Airport shuttle buses (Line 1 and Line 2) connect the city centre and major hotels to the airport in 30–40 minutes for CNY 20–30. The airport is 16 km northwest of downtown Ürümqi. DiDi and taxis from the city centre cost CNY 40–70 depending on traffic.Driving via the Airport Expressway takes 20–30 minutes in normal conditions. Note that Ürümqi operates on Beijing Standard Time (UTC+8) despite being geographically closer to UTC+6; actual local solar time is significantly behind the clock, which affects early morning departures especially.

URC–ALA Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Ürümqi to Almaty route.
Route details
Distance523 mi / 842 km
Flight time2h
Time difference-1 hour
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights24 out / 31 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: URC
IATA / ICAOURC / ZWWW
TimezoneAsia/Urumqi
Passengers/yr21.5M
Elevation2,125 ft / 648 m
Destination: ALA
IATA / ICAOALA / UAAA
TimezoneAsia/Almaty
Passengers/yr10.0M
Elevation2,234 ft / 681 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about URC to ALA flights.
Nonstop flights from Ürümqi Tianshan International Airport to Almaty International Airport take about 2h gate to gate. The route covers 523 miles.
2 airlines operate flights from URC to ALA: China Southern Airlines and Air Astana.
This route has daily service. Check the schedule above for departure days and times in each direction.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include Manas, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Shymkent.
Almaty is 1 hour behind Ürümqi.
Yes, return flights from ALA to URC are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from URC to ALA

Ürümqi Tianshan International Airport (URC) and Almaty International Airport (ALA) are connected by nonstop service from China Southern Airlines and Air Astana. With 24 weekly departures, this is a well served route.

URC to ALA Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from URC to ALA is about 2 hours gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 523 miles (842 km). There are approximately 24 weekly flights outbound and 31 return, totaling 55 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Manas, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Shymkent. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs.