Uzbekistan says it has arranged aviation fuel imports from Georgia, Iraq, and other countries as changes in regional air traffic drive up demand.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s office said on August 3 that demand for aviation fuel will reach an estimated 375,000 metric tons from July through December, 27% higher than in the same period in 2025. The government linked the increase to more flights through Central Asia and a rise in services to Uzbekistan, according to an official statement.
“Most of this demand will be met by domestic oil refineries,” the president’s office said, adding that alternative import channels, including supplies from Georgia and Iraq, had been established in response to export restrictions imposed by certain partner countries.
The statement did not identify the countries imposing the restrictions. It also gave no details about suppliers, import volumes, prices, delivery routes, or whether shipments from Georgia and Iraq have begun.
Batumi Oil Terminal resumed handling European-produced aviation fuel in July, while Georgia’s Kulevi refinery does not plan to begin producing aviation kerosene until 2027. Uzbekistan has not said whether the supplies listed as coming from Georgia are produced there or re-exported through the country.
State-owned Uzbekneftegaz aims to produce 310,000 tons of aviation fuel in 2026. This is only the company’s production target, not Uzbekistan’s total domestic output. The government has not said how much of the country’s aviation fuel demand will be met by Uzbekneftegaz, other domestic producers, or imports.
Uzbekistan’s airports handled 64,831 flights during the first half of 2026, up 8% from a year earlier. Passenger traffic rose 16% to more than 8.15 million, according to Uzbekistan Airports data. International services accounted for 47,371 flights and nearly 6.7 million passengers, with Tashkent International Airport handling 40,283 flights, up 7%, while passenger traffic increased 17% to 5.36 million.
Tourism is also adding to passenger demand. Uzbekistan recorded 6,565,410 foreign visits for tourism purposes in January-June, up 24.9% from a year earlier, according to the National Statistics Committee. The increase forms part of a wider regional travel boom.
However, almost three-quarters of those came from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, which together accounted for 4.9 million arrivals. The total therefore includes substantial land-border traffic and cannot be read solely as an air-passenger figure.
Geopolitical disruption is another factor driving demand. The war involving Iran has constricted a main Europe-Asia aviation corridor and forced airlines away from high-risk airspace. Some services are now using a northern arc through the Caucasus and Central Asia, increasing the value of the region’s airspace.
Pressure from the north predates the Iran conflict. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many Western carriers have avoided Russian airspace. Uzbekistan Airways began routing Europe services around Russia and Belarus in January 2025. Its Tashkent-Munich route grew by 307 kilometers, adding 30 to 40 minutes to the journey time.
Uzbekistan already had a growing air transit base. Uzaeronavigation served 188,000 flights in 2023, including 143,000 by foreign airlines. More than 74,000 flights were handled in Uzbek airspace during January-April 2024 alone.
More traffic raises revenue for airports and air navigation providers, but it also increases demand for fuel and ground services, especially when carriers make technical stops or fly longer routes.
Meanwhile, Russia introduced a temporary ban on aviation fuel exports on May 30, a restriction that runs through November 30 but exempts deliveries made under intergovernmental agreements. Uzbekistan’s Energy Ministry said its bilateral agreement with Russia would keep supplies flowing.
The regional market has nevertheless come under pressure. Russian jet fuel shipments by rail to Central Asia and Afghanistan fell by more than 92% in June from May, to 3,800 tons, Reuters reported.
Ten days after the Uzbek ministry’s assurance, Uzbekistan Airways reduced frequencies on some routes to Russia. “Due to a shortage of aviation fuel and the increase in its cost, we are forced to reduce flight frequencies on certain routes between cities of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation,” the airline said in a June 12 statement.
The airline did not say whether the shortage was linked to Russian deliveries. The August 3 government statement also did not identify which partner countries had imposed the export restrictions that prompted the new supply channels.
Tashkent is expanding domestic production and airport storage. A government transport plan has set a target of 600,000 tons of aviation fuel output a year by 2030. Airport storage capacity is due to rise from 49,000 to 80,000 tons, with new facilities planned in Navoi, Andijan, Bukhara, Urgench, and New Tashkent.
The Fergana Oil Refinery began serial production of Jet A-1 fuel with a synthetic component from the Uzbekistan GTL plant in June. The blend contains 40% synthetic kerosene and 60% conventional fuel. Operator Saneg JetWhites said initial production could reach 10,000 tons a month, with a later increase to 20,000-25,000 tons. The company said the project could raise the domestic share of Uzbekistan’s aviation fuel supply from 40-50% to 70-80%.
Uzbekistan Airports has also signed an agreement linked to a proposed $6.1 billion biofuel project. It is intended to supply sustainable aviation fuel and electro-synthetic fuel from 2030, so will not help meet the immediate rise in conventional demand.
Domestic refineries and new imports must cover a 375,000-ton requirement over six months. The government has not published monthly import volumes or contract details, leaving the scale of the Georgian and Iraqi supplies unclear.
