Photo via anhor.uz
During bilateral talks, Uzbek civil aviation authorities reached agreements with counterparts from Kazakhstan and China to ramp up flights connecting major cities across the three nations. The decision marks a major milestone in developing the joint «Air Silk Road,» according to the press service of Uzbekistan's Ministry of Transport.
Following negotiations with the Kazakh delegation, both sides agreed to boost the frequency of scheduled flights across several key routes. Notably, services linking Tashkent with Almaty and Astana will expand from 42 to 60 flights per week on each route.
Flight frequencies between other cities across the neighboring Central Asian republics will also rise from 14 to 20 weekly services, though officials did not specify which airports are included in the revised schedule.
Uzbek authorities also concluded successful negotiations with representatives of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. As a result, regular air passenger traffic between the two nations will expand from 100 to 114 flights per week.
Uzbekistan's Ministry of Transport emphasized that these accords will reinforce the country's footprint in the global aviation market, enhance regional and international transit connectivity, broaden travel options, and invigorate trade, economic, and tourism ties.
The bilateral negotiations took place in Tashkent on the sidelines of the third meeting of the Central Asia–China (C5+1) civil aviation working group. Delegates from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan also attended the forum.
Aviation authorities discussed advancing the Air Silk Road initiative, deepening Central Asia–China partnership, liberalizing air transport markets, harmonizing regulatory frameworks, and adopting cutting-edge technologies.
Delegates paid particular attention to infrastructure upgrades, flight safety, and the broader implementation of green and smart aviation technologies.
The next meeting of the C5+1 civil aviation working group will take place in Kyrgyzstan in 2027.
In early 2024, reports indicated that Uzbekistan and China had agreed to raise the number of bilateral flights to 100 per week. Core routes currently link Tashkent with Beijing, Urumqi, and Guangzhou, alongside direct connections between cities such as Samarkand, Fergana, Shanghai, and Chengdu.
In summer 2024, civil aviation officials from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan held talks with Chinese counterparts and agreed on reciprocal flights under the fifth freedom of the air, allowing carriers to pick up and set down passengers, cargo, and mail bound for third-country destinations.
