Uzbekistan Air Cargo Notes | 7 August 2025
- Nadira Islamova
- Aug 7
- 3 min read

Welcome to this week's edition of Uzbekistan Air Cargo Notes, the first and only newsletter focusing on the latest news and insights into the dynamic air cargo market of Uzbekistan and Central Asia. This week, we are reporting on Kyrgyzstan’s plans to develop a multimodal logistics hub at Manas Airport, Uzbekistan’s ambitions to build a new major airport in Tashkent by 2030 and more.
Air Cargo Trends
Kyrgyzstan is set to develop multimodal logistics hub
Airports of Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz Pochtasy, and Customs Infrastructure have signed a strategic agreement to build a multimodal logistics and e-commerce hub at Bishkek’s Manas International Airport
The hub will feature warehouses, customs terminals, IT systems, and fulfillment zones, supporting growing air cargo volumes, which rose 18.5% in early 2025
Fergana airport opens expanded departure hall
New 1,550 sq.m. departure hall at Uzbekistan’s Fergana International Airport has increased passenger handling capacity by 2.7 times, accommodating up to 600 travelers per hour
Serving the densely populated Fergana Valley, the airport saw a 38% rise in passengers and flights in 2024, highlighting growing regional demand
Kazakhstan sees surge in domestic flights
Domestic flights in Kazakhstan reached 849 per week, surpassing international flights of 842, as the number of domestic routes grew from 53 to 61 in the first half of 2025
Kazakh airlines served 7.2 million passengers, up 6.1% year-on-year, while airport infrastructure continues to expand with new projects and US$2.9 billion in planned investments
Uzbekistan Airways and China Southern Airlines expanded their cooperation
Uzbekistan Airways and China Southern Airlines signed an MoU to explore broader cooperation in codesharing, cargo, ancillary services, and passenger experience enhancement
The partnership supports deeper aviation ties under the Belt and Road initiative, aiming to strengthen connectivity between China and Central Asia
Uzbekistan to build new major airport in Tashkent by 2030
Uzbekistan plans to construct a new primary airport in Tashkent by 2030, with a capacity of 20 million passengers annually, to address growing demand and infrastructure limits at the current airport
The new facility, located 17 km south of the existing site, will accommodate 169 aircraft and handle over 40 takeoffs and landings per hour, marking a key step in the country’s aviation hub ambitions
Almaty airport begins its modernization project
Kazakhstan’s Almaty Airport has launched the $1.5–1.7 billion Horizon project to expand capacity and modernize infrastructure through 2050, aiming to serve up to 40 million passengers annually
Phase one, costing $362 million and running until 2028, includes over 130 sub-projects such as terminal upgrades, new taxiways, aircraft de-icing platforms and expanded cargo and VIP facilities
Air Astana simplifies fleet and plans expansion
Kazakhstan’s Air Astana retired its last Embraer E190-E2 in May, making its fleet exclusively Airbus and Boeing, with plans to grow from 61 to 84 aircraft by 2029
The airline will replace Boeing 767s with three new 787-9s to launch U.S. routes, while expanding services to China, Southeast Asia and the Gulf amid a 25.2% rise in international passenger traffic
Uzbekistan and Russia to expand flight connections
Uzbekistan and Indonesia signed an aviation agreement to increase the number of weekly flights between the two countries from 3 to 28, including 14 passenger and 14 cargo flights by Uzbek carriers
The agreement removes capacity restrictions and allows Uzbek airlines to fly to major Indonesian cities such as Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, and Medan, while Indonesian carriers can operate flights to all international airports in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan Airways to increase flights ex Namangan to Ufa
Uzbekistan Airways is set to increase direct regular passenger flights ex Namangan, Uzbekistan to Ufa, Russia VV starting from 8 August 2025
Flights will operate two times per week using Airbus A320 aircraft
Aeroflot resumes direct flights between Moscow and Samarkand
Russian carrier Aeroflot resumed direct regular passenger flights ex Moscow, Russia to Samarkand, Uzbekistan VV on 31 July 2025
Flights currently operate three times a week using Airbus A320 aircraft and are scheduled to become daily by early October
Other News
Uzbekistan sees rising demand for rail transport
In the first half of 2025, 5.32 million passengers used Uzbekistan’s railway services, reflecting a 5.6% increase compared to the same period in 2024
The growth of 280,800 passengers highlights the expanding role of railways in supporting mobility and the development of the national transport system
Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan launch e-permit-based cargo transport
The first cargo shipment between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan using an electronic permit has been completed, marking Kyrgyzstan as the third country to adopt the e-permit system with Azerbaijan, after Uzbekistan and Türkiye
The system aims to simplify permit procedures, increase transparency and boost the speed and volume of cargo flows, both countries plan to establish regular bilateral shipments using this digital exchange format
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