UZA.

On December 29, Air Samarkand performed its first flight to Istanbul with passengers on an Airbus A330 aircraft.

Türkiye is one of the priority destinations from Samarkand: the airline plans to operate flights to Istanbul airports and other cities in Türkiye.

The first flight is the most important milestone for any airline. It connects cities and countries, uniting people and expanding Uzbekistan’s transport, tourism, and business opportunities.

“The launch of passenger flights from Samarkand is a great event for us, our base airport, city, and the country. We are planning to open new destinations and expand the fleet”, said Anton Khojayan, CEO of Air Samarkand.

On December 27, the Civil Aviation Agency under the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan issued the airline an operator's certificate – the main document confirming its compliance with the requirements of aviation legislation, international standards, and ICAO rules on flight safety. On December 28, the airline completed a demonstration flight from Samarkand to Tashkent to check the crew’s work and ensure that all requirements and procedures were met before the start of passenger transportation.

Currently, the airline is focused on operating flights on a charter basis, and by the beginning of the spring-summer season, it expects to start operating regular flights and open ticket sales on its website through ticket offices and online aggregators.