Despite competition from numerous start-ups, Uzbekistan Airways remains the dominant carrier in the market
AIRBUS
Having come to power in 2016, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev kickstarted a transition to a privatesector-led economy that has spurred the creation of new airlines. The reforms have included a renewed focus on inbound tourism, a relaxation of the country’s visa rules and the enactment of open-skies agreements at secondary airports to encourage foreign carriers to move in. The political shift in the capital, Tashkent, has accelerated since 2020, with the state ending its airline monopoly and opening up the commercial aviation industry to new, privately-owned entrants.
Amid this liberalised air transport market, what was once the country’s only airline – state-owned Uzbekistan Airways – has now been joined by Air Samarkand, Centrum Air, Panorama Airways, HumoAir, Qanot Sharq and Silk Avia. And the changes are beginning to bear fruit. According to the country’s State Committee on Statistics, the airline industry now accounts for 14% of Uzbekistan’s entire transportation services market, up from 9% in 2021 and 11% pre-COVID.