Kazakhstan could establish aviation fuel operator

ASTANA. Dec 23 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan's Transport Ministry is considering the possibility of establishing a single operator to supply aviation fuel, Transport Minister Marat Karabayev said.

"One of our top priorities is to supply the airports with aviation fuel. Currently, the airports have to purchase the fuel from neighboring countries. We intend to establish a single operator to resolve the matter of the aviation fuel shortage," Karabayev said during the government hour on Monday in Kazakhstan's lower house of parliament, the Majilis.

The new operator will be organized based at KazMunayGas-Aero LLP.

The measure should assist in eliminating ineffective intermediaries, stabilize aviation fuel supplies, and offer affordable prices for transit flights through Kazakhstan if they buy the fuel in large volumes, the minister said.

Organized in 2014 as a subsidiary of JSC KazMunayGas National Company, KazMunayGas-Aero LLP is the sole supplier of TS-1/RT jet fuel for Kazakhstan's armed forces, and it is the centralized supplier of gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and aviation fuel.