AIFC Launches Regional Aviation Finance Report and Backs Jupiter Jet's First Aircraft Leasing Deal
Why It MattersThe initiative signals Kazakhstan's push to build aviation-finance infrastructure and draw global lessors into Central Asia's cargo and leasing markets.
The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) presented its first regional aviation finance report and supported Kazakhstan-based cargo airline Jupiter Jet in completing its first aircraft leasing transaction with a US lessor, both announced at the 9th Astana Finance Days 2026 on 10 September 2026. A roundtable titled 'The Untapped Potential of the Regional Aviation Finance Market in Kazakhstan and Central Asia' brought together government bodies, airlines, cargo carriers, airports, financial institutions and leasing companies to discuss capital requirements and financing opportunities, including aircraft leasing, aircraft finance and airport infrastructure funding.
The AIFC's inaugural report, 'Aviation Finance in Kazakhstan and Central Asia: Global Trends and the Role of the Astana International Financial Centre,' examines global aviation finance trends and opportunities across Central Asia and the Caucasus, covering operating and finance leases, capital market instruments, alternative financing sources, and the experience of aviation finance centres in Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and the United States. On the sidelines, the AIFC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Development Bank of Kazakhstan to support Sustainable Aviation Fuel initiatives, and is working with the International Civil Aviation Organization under the ICAO Finvest Hub initiative, having signed a Letter of Intent with plans for a further Memorandum of Understanding.
The AIFC Aviation Finance Hub supported Jupiter Jet through key stages of its leasing transaction, including structuring the lease and assisting commercial negotiations with the US lessor, with JanaPort Ltd. also involved in the cooperation. The lease agreement's execution was described as a practical demonstration of Kazakhstan's air cargo operators' readiness to participate in international aircraft leasing markets. Zhanbolat Kakishev, Chief Product Officer of the AIFC Authority, said the AIFC is developing the soft infrastructure needed to build an aviation finance ecosystem, while Assel Bagissova, Head of the AIFC Aviation Finance Hub, said developing local aircraft leasing expertise offers considerable potential and that bringing global lessors into the AIFC jurisdiction would give fresh impetus to civil aviation development in Kazakhstan.
