Yes, you can smoke at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ) — each terminal has a smoking room on the 2nd floor, in the departure hall, open 24 hours a day, and there are designated outdoor smoking spots by the bus lanes in front of the terminal entrances.
Astana’s airport (its IATA code changed from TSE to NQZ in June 2020) is Kazakhstan’s capital gateway. It runs two terminals linked by an airside walkway: Terminal 1, the large international terminal opened in 2017 for EXPO, and Terminal 2, the older Kisho Kurokawa-designed building that now handles domestic flights.
Terminal 1 — International Departures
Terminal 1’s smoking room is on the 2nd floor, in the departure hall, and is open 24 hours a day. Travellers described it in June 2021 after passport control and security, behind the large staircase to the upper floor in the middle of the terminal: a basic room without seating or windows. Because both terminals share an airside walkway, international transit passengers can reach it without leaving the secure zone or passing back through screening.
Terminal 2 — Domestic Departures
Terminal 2’s smoking room is also on the 2nd floor, in the departure hall, and is open 24 hours a day. If you cannot spot it, follow the smoking-room signs or ask at the information desk.
Landside and Winter Notes
Before security, or on arrival, smoke outside at the designated spots by the bus lanes in front of the terminal entrances, well away from the doors. Astana is one of the world’s coldest capital cities, with winter temperatures that regularly fall below −30 °C, so the indoor smoking rooms are the practical option in winter.
Vaping
E-cigarettes and vapes are banned across Kazakhstan — import, sale and distribution — under criminal liability, so carrying a vape through the airport is risky. Rely on the designated smoking rooms for tobacco airside; the full vape rules sit on the country guide.
Summary table
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 room (international) | Yes | 2nd floor, departure hall, 24 hours; after security behind the upper-floor stairs (travellers, June 2021) |
| Terminal 2 room (domestic) | Yes | 2nd floor, departure hall, 24 hours |
| Outdoor landside | Yes | Designated spots by the bus lanes in front of the terminal entrances |
| Vaping | Banned | E-cigarettes prohibited nationwide; carrying one is risky |
For Kazakhstan’s airport smoking rules and the nationwide vape ban, see our Kazakhstan airport smoking guide.