Uzbekistan opens 5 airports for int'l flights
By Aynur Jafarova
Uzbekistan has opened five more airports in the cities of Andijan, Namangan, Ferghana, Termez and Karshi for international flights, the local Uzbek media reported on October 3.
According to the decree issued by the Uzbek government, the national airline company Uzbekistan Airways and State Inspection of the Republic of Uzbekistan for flight safety supervision (Gosavianadzor) are instructed to publish data on the status of the five international airports in International Aeronautical Information Publications.
Uzbekistan Airways is also requested to provide the units of the National Security Service, State Customs Committee, Health, Agriculture, Interior and Foreign Ministries with necessary office space, communication facilities, equipment, and special equipment for "effective implementation of border, customs, sanitary and veterinary controls, as well as visa provision in checkpoints of these airports."
Uzbekistan has 11 airports, including six with international status in Tashkent, Nukus, Samarqand, Urgench, Bukhara and Navoi. Hence all airports of the country will be open to international flights.
Uzbekistan Airways is the monopoly air carrier in Uzbekistan, wholly owned by the state. The company implements flights to 21 cities in Europe, U.S., Middle East, Asia, 22 cities of the CIS countries, as well as domestic flights in 11 directions.
In 2012, the airline company increased the passenger transportation by 13.5 percent to 2.636 million passengers compared to 2011, whereas freight volumes fell by 17 percent to 40,000 tons.
The flying stock of the Uzbek national company includes 31 aircrafts of West production. It exploits 15 Boeing aircrafts, which provide more than half of all airline traffic of the company, including extra-long routes in the U.S. and Japan.