Kazakhstan Transport Ministry Proposes Airline Delay Penalties in Draft Rules
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
Kazakhstan's Transport Ministry has drafted amendments to air passenger rules that would require airlines to pay passengers penalties for flight delays and fully refund tickets for forced cancellations. The draft order is in the approval stage and also covers cabin baggage liability, disability fares, and carriage of musical instruments and animals, according to Inbusiness.kz.
Proposed Refund and Delay Penalties
As of August 14, 2026, Kazakhstan's Transport Ministry has drafted amendments that would require airlines to pay passengers a penalty for delay in delivery to the destination, though the amount and payment procedure are not yet disclosed. The draft also proposes a full refund of the unused ticket price in cases of forced refusal to fly. The ministry did not specify which cases would qualify as forced refusal, and it said current rules on informing passengers about delays and cancellations work properly and will not change.
Cabin Baggage and Instruments
The draft would hold airlines liable for loss of or damage to cabin baggage when caused by the carrier. Musical instruments may be taken into the cabin as cabin baggage if the instrument is in a reliable case, weighs no more than 10 kg with the case, and measures no more than 110×35×30 cm. One passenger may carry one such instrument free of charge, subject to space on the baggage shelf.
Animals and Approval Stage
The draft permits animal transport both in the cabin and as checked baggage, with each airline setting specific conditions independently. If a smaller aircraft replaces the original one, seats must first be offered to vulnerable passenger categories, and a special fare is proposed for people with disabilities and their accompanying persons. On domestic flights, digital documents presented by minors through the digital documents service would be treated as equivalent to paper documents. As of August 14, 2026, the draft order is in the approval stage and individual provisions may still change.
What's Next
The Transport Ministry has not announced a date for final approval, and the draft order will next move through the agreement stage. It remains unclear whether the compensation amounts and forced-refusal criteria will be specified before the rules take effect.
1 source
Kazakhstan Transport Ministry Proposes Airline Delay Penalties in Draft Rules
