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During talks in Seoul this week, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport and South Korea’s civil aviation authority reached agreements to increase the number of regular flights between Uzbekistan and South Korea from the current 10 to 24 per week for airlines of each country, raising the total weekly number of flights to 48. According to the Uzbek ministry, airlines of both countries will operate up to 12 weekly flights between Tashkent and Seoul and up to four flights from South Korea’s regions to Tashkent. Up to four flights per week will be performed from Uzbekistan’s regions to Seoul, and there will be up to four weekly flights between Uzbekistan's regions and other South Korean cities. An agreement was also reached on the bilateral use of the Open Skies regime at the international airport of Jeju, the second-largest airport in South Korea, and Uzbekistan’s Samarkand airport for airlines of both countries. From the Uzbek side, flights between the two countries will be operated by the national air carrier, Uzbekistan Airways, and new airlines created by Uzbekistan — Qanot Sharq, My Freighter, and Air Samarkand. According to the Uzbek ministry, these agreements will help develop trade and economic relations between the two countries, increase bilateral passenger and cargo turnover, and attract Korean tourists to the historical cities of Uzbekistan. The Times of Central Asia earlier reported that South Korea is one of the most popular destinations for Uzbeks, both for work and studies. The Uzbeks occupy fifth place by size of the foreign diaspora in the country and number more than 69,000. In recent years, the government of Uzbekistan has established regulations for legal and safe labor migration to South Korea. At the start of 2024, the government announced its intention to attract 100,000 Uzbeks to work in South Korea.
Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport has agreed with China Southern Airlines to increase the frequency of flights on the Beijing-Tashkent route from four to seven per week, and on the Urumqi (Xinjiang)-Tashkent route from three to four per week. They also agreed to launch three weekly flights on the Guangzhou-Urumqi-Tashkent route in 2025. At the last C5+1 China-Central Asia Civil Aviation Conference, held in Xi'an in June, Uzbekistan and China agreed to increase the number of flights between the two countries and open new air corridors. Four airlines from Uzbekistan were assigned 58 regular flights per week to transport passengers from the international airports of Tashkent and Samarkand to 12 Chinese cities. Currently, the Uzbek airlines Qanot Sharq, Centrum Air, and Air Samarkand are working to meet the certification requirements of the Chinese aviation administration so that they can begin regular flights to China. At the moment, nine Uzbek and Chinese airlines operate 63 regular flights per week to 16 destinations in both countries, including 21 flights for passengers and 42 for cargo.
Daiyrbek Orunbekov, Head of the Information Policy Service of the Kyrgyz Presidential Administration, stated on his Facebook page that Kyrgyzstan has begun production on ultralight small-size two-seat helicopters. Describing the helicopter, he wrote: “It is a two-seater, can hold 70 liters of fuel, and flies 600 kilometers in 3 hours; pricing starts at around 60 thousand dollars." He also added that automobile, helicopter, and other manufacturing plants would soon be opening in the country. The production of helicopters in Kyrgyzstan, assembled from components supplies by Poland, is the country's first foray into the market. The helicopters can be used for various tasks, from pilot training and aerial photography to police patrols, power line control, medical personnel transport, and aerial agricultural work, and according to Orunbekov, interest has already been expressed by UAE companies in the test models. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that the German company "Linding Group" plans to invest some 10 million dollars in assembling aircraft in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The German company "Linding Group" is set to invest about $10 million in assembling airplanes in Almaty, pending necessary permits from the government. Based in the economic zone “PIT ‘Alatau", production will begin in 2026. During the first year, 20 airplanes will be assembled, rising to 50 units annually thereafter. Kazakhstan is already engaged in several joint projects with foreign enterprises in aircraft production. One such project involves the "Russian Helicopters" company. Within the framework of the agreement with Kazakhstan's aircraft repair plant No. 405, a large-unit assembly of Mi-8AMT and Mi-171E helicopters was launched in Almaty, predominantly serving the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the National Guard of Kazakhstan. A further example of international cooperation is the contract between the Ural Civil Aviation Plant and Kazakhstan Aviation Industry (KAI) to produce the Baikal multi-purpose airplane. When fully assembled by the end of this year, the airplanes will be delivered to markets in Europe and Africa. The realization of all of these projects will both strengthen Kazakhstan's aviation industry and increase its presence in international aviation markets.
The Sovico Group, a leading investment conglomerate in Vietnam, is to modernize and further develop the infrastructure of Kazakhstan's Turkestan and Kyzylorda airports. As reported by Kazakh Invest, the deal was confirmed in a Memorandum of Cooperation, signed in Astana between Sovico Group Chairman Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hung and Deputy Governors of Turkestan and Kyzylorda regions. The Chairman of Sovico announced plans to increase the frequency of flights from Vietnam to Kazakhstan, as well as the group's potential development of Kazakhstan’s trade and logistics potential, particularly at the Khorgos hub on the Kazakh-Chinese border. The latter follows discussions with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev back in May, during which Nguyen Thanh Hung announced his company's interest in taking control of several airports and investing in logistics warehouses for the storage of goods produced in Vietnam and ASEAN countries for subsequent sale in Kazakhstan, Central Asian countries, the EAEU, and Europe. The Sovico Group has also announced plans to acquire Qazaq Air for the sum of approximately $4.2 million by the end of September 2024; a move described by President Tokayev in July, as a demonstration of the Vietnamese conglomerate's ambitious plans to develop civil aviation in Kazakhstan and the region. In a country where rail is the main means of transport, the development of regional airports and domestic flights will have a significant impact on the passage of both cargo and people.
The first Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, purchased by Kyrgyzstan’s Manas International Airport Open Joint Stock Company for its Asman Airlines, has arrived in Bishkek. The airplane, made by Canadian manufacturer De Havilland Aircraft, is a short-haul plane capable of carrying up to 80 passengers and transporting them over a distance of up to 2,000 kilometers. Manas International Airport, which runs all airports in the country, is purchasing two Bombardier Dash 8 Q-400 aircraft for the local Asman Airlines at its own expense. Another Q-400 aircraft will arrive later. Kyrgyzstan is experiencing growth in passenger traffic on both domestic and international flights. In 2023, the total passenger traffic amounted to 5.609 million passengers, an increase from 3.98 million, or 41%, in 2021. In addition, the regional airports in Karakol, Kazarman, Kerben, Talas, and Naryn have been reconstructed at the expense of Manas International Airport, allowing the launch of new domestic routes. A new international airport in the southern Jalal-Abad region is under consideration.
