In the first half of 2024, Uzbekistan's airports witnessed a surge in passenger traffic, operating a total of 53,300 flights. Of these, 16,300 were domestic, and 36,900 were international, marking a 37% increase compared to the same period last year, the press service of Uzbekistan Airports reported.
From January to June, the airports served over 6.4mn passengers. This included more than 1.3mn passengers on domestic flights and 5.1mn on international flights, reflecting a 36% increase from the first half of 2023.
Cargo and mail handling also saw a rise, with almost 40.7 tons managed during the first half of the year—an 18% increase over last year's figures.
Uzbekistan airports now serve passenger flights on 84 routes, up by 15% from the same period last year. This expansion is attributed to the addition of new air carriers and the launch of several new routes.
Notable additions include LOT Polish, which began Warsaw-Tashkent-Warsaw flights on March 14, Qatar Airways direct flights between Doha and Tashkent starting June 2, and Turkish AJet's Ankara-Tashkent-Ankara flights commencing on June 3. In May, Spanish airline World2Fly began operating tourist charter flights from Madrid to Tashkent and Urgench.
Uzbekistan Airports currently collaborates with 45 airlines, underscoring its growing role as a regional aviation hub.
Earlier, Samarkand Airport (SKD), the second-largest in Uzbekistan, reported a 47% increase in passenger numbers for the first half of 2024, serving 647,000 passengers.
The airport's management attributes this growth to a strategy aimed at maintaining the record development pace set in 2023. During that year, the airport surpassed the 1mn traveler mark for the first time, achieving over 100% traffic growth and earning a spot among ACI Europe's Top 3 fastest-growing airports in its category.
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