CENTRAL ASIA, THE CAUCASUS AND MONGOLIA
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan Airways and a Tashkent airport modernisation drive a market opening up to new carriers and investors.
Market overview
Uzbekistan is opening its air market quickly. Airport passengers rose 15% to 15.5 million in 2025, up from 10 million in 2023. International travel accounts for 12.7 million and domestic for 2.8 million. Flights rose 14% to almost 129,000, and cargo and mail 12% to about 98,000 tonnes. New foreign airlines keep arriving: Air China, China Eastern, T'way Air and AirAsia all started in 2025. The national fleet has more than doubled, from 54 aircraft in 2022 to 114 in mid-2026. Routes grew from 167 in 2023 to 220 in the first half of 2026. Building is under way. Work started in the first half of 2026 on a new international airport in Tashkent and a new airport in Bukhara, and Urgench is being modernised under a public-private partnership with Incheon Airport. The plan is to hand five major airports to private operators by 2030. For suppliers, the openings are in terminal and airport systems, operator partnerships, and MRO and training for a fast-growing fleet.
At a glance
- Main hubs
- Tashkent Islam Karimov; Samarkand
- Flag carrier
- Uzbekistan Airways
- Airport operator
- Uzbekistan Airports ↗
Market opening to new airlines and investorsairport modernisationtourism growth
Key facts
- 15.5 million airport passengers in 2025, up 15%: 12.7 million international and 2.8 million domestic (Jan 2026).
- 128,972 flights and 98,137 tonnes of cargo and mail in 2025 (Jan 2026).
- Fleet of 114 aircraft in mid-2026, up from 54 in 2022 (Oct 2026).
- 220 air routes in the first half of 2026 (19 domestic, 201 international), up from 167 in 2023 (Oct 2026).
- Urgench airport public-private partnership signed with Incheon International Airport Corporation (Oct 2025).
Key figures
Passengers carried (2023)
4,849,939
2023 · rank 36 of 52
2019–2023
Air freight, million tonne-km (2023)
96
2023 · rank 34 of 52
2019–2023
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0).
Did you know
A new Tashkent airport is being built under a 35-year deal.
Typical bottlenecks in Uzbekistan
- Raising safety oversight to international audit standards — Regulation & certification · Quality, safety & compliance
- Modernising or privatising an airport — Airports & ground operations · Airline strategy & business plans
- Setting up a new airline or base — Airline strategy & business plans · Aviation licensing
Sources
- https://kun.uz/en/news/2026/01/21/passenger-traffic-at-uzbekistans-airports-rises-15-percent-year-on-year
- https://kun.uz/en/news/2026/10/30/uzbekistan-plans-to-nearly-double-domestic-air-passenger-traffic-by-2030-58617
- https://kun.uz/en/news/2026/01/03/five-major-airports-in-uzbekistan-to-be-modernized-and-handed-over-to-private-operators
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