Uzbekistan becomes the leading international destination for Russian airlines

Image: Uzbekistan Airports

According to Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Uzbekistan has become the primary international destination for Russian airlines in this year’s summer schedule. This season, Russian carriers will operate flights to this Central Asian nation across 67 distinct routes.

This exceeds the number of routes to China by 10 and to Turkey by 12. Turkey previously held the top spot for Russian outbound travel; for comparison, in 2019, Russian airlines carried 11.78 million passengers to/from Turkey, while the Uzbekistan market accounted for only 1.24 million passengers.

Russia also remains the cornerstone market for Uzbek carriers. This season, the flag carrier Uzbekistan Airways operates to 19 Russian cities, while the country’s largest private carrier, Centrum Air, serves 13. Another private airline, Qanot Sharq, provides service to Moscow and Saint Petersburg from several Uzbek cities. Additionally, the new Uzbek startup FlyOne Asia is set to launch operations on five routes from Tashkent to Russia during the summer season.

The high volume of passenger traffic between the two nations is driven by labor migration and Uzbekistan’s growing appeal for both business and leisure travel. Furthermore, Tashkent has developed into a major transit hub for Russian travelers heading to the United States via Uzbekistan Airways’ connecting flights.