Popular Airport | Shymkent Intl. Airport |
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Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 11 hour 10 min |
Approximate Travel Distance | 8942 Km |
Taking a taxi in the morning or evening outside of rush hours is probably the most reliable method of transport to the airport in densely populated Durban. It’s also possible to reach the airport with rented cars or shuttle company buses.
You can reach the airport by taxi from the city centre in around 30 to 50 minutes depending on traffic conditions. It might be a good idea to speak with the taxi driver beforehand and let them know your time of departure to not have any bad surprises for your journey.
The shuttle buses that leave for the airport depart from Durban Station in the city centre, depart once every day at 8:00, 11:00, and 16:00 and reach the airport in around half an hour.
The traffic flows on the left side in Durban, so if you come from a country where you drive on the right it might be a better idea to hire a car with a driver rather than getting behind the steering wheel yourself. If you come from country where cars drive on the left side, you might be more at home with this option.
There is only one terminal in King Shaka Airport where there is an ABSA bank, which opens half an hour before the first flight and closes half an hour after the last flight. In addition, you can find financial services from the ATMs of First National Bank, Nedbank, and Standard Bank. There is a prayer room for Muslims, and a post office that offers services depending on the first and last flights of the day. There are baby and childcare rooms that mothers can use.
In addition to these services, the airport has many lounges. The most exclusive ones are the South African Airways Business Class Lounge, found near the entrance of the terminal, and BIDVest Premier Lounge. In these lounges you can order some food and rest on comfortable seating areas to read books or newspapers.
Airport restaurants include; Cape Town Fish Market, Cosmic Candy, Big Five Duty Free, Fego Coffee Shop, Kauai, KFC, Milky Lane, Mugg&Bean, Panarottis, Rhapsody’s, Spur, Steers, Sweet Treat, The Airport Cellar, and Wimpy. There is also a Yemaya Nail Express, Woolworts, Vodashop, Tie Stop, The Urban Retreat, The Scoin Shop, NWJ Fine Jewellery, Sneakers, Sunglass Hunt, Nike, MTN, Moda Luggage&Leather, Khasav, Jeep, EM Native, and Electro Electronics for your shopping needs.
Shymkent, also known as Chimkent, is at the center of South Kazakhstan, one of the most populous regions of Kazakhstan. Situated on the junction of Turkestan-Siberia Railway, Shymkent is located 690 km west of Almaty and 120 km north of Tashkent. The city, with a population of approximately 855 thousand, was established on Sayram River Valley. Shymkent, Kazakhstan's third largest city, has a history of about 8 hundred years.
Located in the south of the country, Shymkent is a cultural, commercial, industrial and tourism center. Although Shymkent is a small and underpopulated city, it is an important location where transportation networks intersect thanks to the distance between the city and nearby tourist destinations. Railway transportation is also very popular in Shymkent. The city also has connections with important cities such as Baku, Yerevan and Tbilisi.
In order to go to the city from Shymkent International Airport which is approximately 11 km to the city center, you need to go to the area where you can get on a car, bus or taxi. These vehicles are located at the exit of the terminal. Or you can rent your own car from one of the companies located in the terminal and go to the city center in about 10-15 minutes.
Fundamentally, the whole intracity and intercity transportation network of Shymkent is performed through the Shymkent railway station. The railway networks of Shymkent, Kazakhstan's third largest city, are linked to many cities of Kazakhstan. The train station, located 1.5 km from the city center, is in Kabanbay Batyr. From the airport, you can get to the train station, Sportivnaya, directly by bus.
Shymkent central bus station is located in Samal. At the same time there is the second biggest bus station in Ayna. Bus route 12 offers service between Shymkent Airport and the city center.
Apart from this, if you want to go to Almaty from Shymkent by bus, you should know that the travel will last about 12 hours. These buses depart from Avtovokzal Samal. Every half an hour there are buses to many parts of the city from Avtovokzal Samal which is located 4 km north of the city center.
Shymkent marshrutka routes are almost the same as the buses. These two means of transportation are the most important public transportation vehicles in the city. There is also no big difference in terms of the fares. From Samal, where the central bus station is located, there are marshrutka services to many parts of the city. To get to the city from Shymkent Airport, you can use the marshrutkas waiting outside the terminal. According to the fares of 2013 ticket price is 50 Tenge.
If you get on a taxi to go to the city center from Shymkent Airport, you need to pay approximately 21-25 TL for the travel. This travel of 10.8 kilometers lasts approximately 11-12 minutes. If you make a reservation by getting in contact with Avto-kz Taxi, which is the most popular taxi company in Shymkent, your taxi will pick you up at the airport.
We recommend you to evaluate renting a car as your last option if your visit will be short and you will spend your time only in the center of Shymkent. Because the city has a small surface area, you can prefer other alternatives instead of renting a car. If you have rented your car from the airport and want to get to the city center, you can use the highway M-32.