Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan Set to Restore Direct Flights

Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have agreed to resume direct flights, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Transport Ilhom Mahkamov announced.

He made the statement in an interview given following the results of the Uzbek president’s working visit to Turkmenistan, The Caspian Post reports, citing Kun.uz.

“At present, we have no direct flights from Turkmenistan. Today we signed a document: highlighting all its attractive aspects, we are now creating the conditions to launch direct two-way flights in the coming days,” the minister said.

Direct flights between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan were suspended in May 2013. Sources said the route was discontinued due to being unprofitable.

On August 22, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Turkmenistan. The visit included bilateral talks with the Turkmen leadership as well as a trilateral summit with the presidents of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan.

In the presence of the leaders, memorandums and other documents were signed on cooperation in transport and logistics, shipbuilding, and civil aviation. In particular, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Transport Ilhom Mahkamov and Chairman of Turkmenistan Airlines Dovran Saburov signed a protocol on cooperation in the field of civil aviation.

According to Mahkamov, Uzbekistan also seeks to acquire its own ferries in the Caspian Sea to strengthen freight traffic along the Middle Corridor.

“Both Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have shipbuilding plants. We can negotiate all technical and commercial matters with ferry manufacturers, and the conditions have been created for this,” the minister added.