newstodate.aero
Apr 08, 2020 (newstodate): Uzbekistan's government would like to see foreign operators and investors supporting its airports development.
Lufthansa Consulting has been called in to analyse the country's passenger air transport market, focusing on market peculiarities and factors influencing the development.
Lufthansa Consulting found that 95 percent of the Uzbek population enjoys accessibility of international airports, with the three largest airports, Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, accounting for 80 percent of the country's total traffic.
Airports in the southern part of Uzbekistan, however, most often share coverage area, leading to strong competition for the same passengers, and airports in neighbouring countries Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan also add to the competition for Uzbek air travellers.
After a decline since 2012 due to the country's dependence on Russia's economy and unfavourable currency exchange rates, Uzbek government initiatives to reform the economy and liberalize the tourism industry has led to a 150 percent increase in passenger volumes during 2016-19, primarily on routes to and from Tashkent, flights to and from Russia that provide the bulk of the increase also due to the large number of Uzbek migrant workers in Russia, and rising tourism.
With the liberalization of tourism comes also increased competition from foreign players, and the analysis estimates the share of the national carrier to decrease from 70 to 40-50 percent.
The findings by Lufthansa Consulting were presented by Akshar Torshin, the company's permanent Representative in Russia, CIS and the Baltic States, at the recent Uzbekistan Aviation Logistic Forum in Tashkent.
As earlier reported by newstodate, Uzbekistan is keen to develop its connectivity with the world, going for implementation of open skies policies.
To support the operations of international routes, the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan, the State Committee for Tourism and other departments have been ordered to set up five new airlines by April 1, 2020, in an effort to increase the frequency of flights on existing air routes and launch of new destinations.
The ministry has also decreed the launch of ten new international routes under the Open Skies agreement at all international airports in Uzbekistan, and this process is to be completed before the beginning of summer 2021.
Other measures to increase international air traffic at the country's airports include expanding the visa-free regime to more countries and decreasing handling charges levied on foreign airlines by 30-50 percent at the country's airports.
Lufthansa Consulting has been called in to analyse the country's passenger air transport market, focusing on market peculiarities and factors influencing the development.
Lufthansa Consulting found that 95 percent of the Uzbek population enjoys accessibility of international airports, with the three largest airports, Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, accounting for 80 percent of the country's total traffic.
Airports in the southern part of Uzbekistan, however, most often share coverage area, leading to strong competition for the same passengers, and airports in neighbouring countries Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan also add to the competition for Uzbek air travellers.
After a decline since 2012 due to the country's dependence on Russia's economy and unfavourable currency exchange rates, Uzbek government initiatives to reform the economy and liberalize the tourism industry has led to a 150 percent increase in passenger volumes during 2016-19, primarily on routes to and from Tashkent, flights to and from Russia that provide the bulk of the increase also due to the large number of Uzbek migrant workers in Russia, and rising tourism.
With the liberalization of tourism comes also increased competition from foreign players, and the analysis estimates the share of the national carrier to decrease from 70 to 40-50 percent.
The findings by Lufthansa Consulting were presented by Akshar Torshin, the company's permanent Representative in Russia, CIS and the Baltic States, at the recent Uzbekistan Aviation Logistic Forum in Tashkent.
As earlier reported by newstodate, Uzbekistan is keen to develop its connectivity with the world, going for implementation of open skies policies.
To support the operations of international routes, the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan, the State Committee for Tourism and other departments have been ordered to set up five new airlines by April 1, 2020, in an effort to increase the frequency of flights on existing air routes and launch of new destinations.
The ministry has also decreed the launch of ten new international routes under the Open Skies agreement at all international airports in Uzbekistan, and this process is to be completed before the beginning of summer 2021.
Other measures to increase international air traffic at the country's airports include expanding the visa-free regime to more countries and decreasing handling charges levied on foreign airlines by 30-50 percent at the country's airports.