Uzbekistan and Russia have reached an agreement to triple the number of direct air flights between the two countries, increasing the total to more than 1,000 per week. The Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan announced the decision following negotiations held in Moscow on July 21–22 between the aviation authorities of both countries.
Under the new agreement, the Tashkent-Moscow route will now operate 50 flights per week by each side, totaling 100 weekly flights. The Samarkand-Moscow route will see 23 flights from each country, totaling 46.
Other routes such as Bukhara-Moscow, Urgench-Moscow, Fergana-Moscow, and Namangan-Moscow will each operate 14 flights by both sides, bringing the total to 112 flights. Additionally, 14 weekly flights each will be scheduled on the Tashkent-St. Petersburg, Tashkent-Krasnoyarsk, and Tashkent-Sochi routes, amounting to 42 flights in total. The Termez-Moscow route will be served by 10 flights from each side, totaling 20 per week.
Beyond these specific routes, Russian air carriers will be permitted to operate 560 flights from 80 international airports across Russia to all international airports in Uzbekistan. Uzbek carriers will operate 203 flights from all Uzbek international airports to 29 of Russia’s largest international airports.
The agreement also removes restrictions on the number of airlines allowed to operate triangle flights — routes combining three cities — and grants each airline the right to choose up to five cities under this format.
Currently, more than 310 scheduled flights operate weekly between Uzbekistan and Russia. The new agreement will more than triple this figure, helping to accommodate growing demand for travel, trade, and tourism. Officials emphasized that this expansion will support bilateral trade and economic relations, increase cargo and passenger flows, and promote tourism by enabling freer movement between the two countries.
Uzbeks in Russia
The announcement comes as migration trends between Uzbekistan and Russia continue to evolve. In June 2024, presidential spokesperson Sherzod Asadov reported that approximately 1mn Uzbek citizens were residing in Russia. This represents a sharp decrease from 2016, when over 4mn Uzbeks were working in the country.
“This means that even if we take the minimum statistics — 4mn in 2016 — at least 3mn of our migrants have returned to our country. I believe this indicator alone shows the effectiveness of the economic reforms being implemented,” Asadov stated.
In June 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin also announced that Uzbekistan and Russia had agreed to jointly address migration issues and implement systems to prepare migrant workers in advance.
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