Thick fog across multiple regions of Uzbekistan has disrupted air travel, causing delays and diversions for Uzbekistan Airways and several foreign carriers.
Some flights were postponed until the following day, The Caspian Post reports, citing Uzbek media.
On January 6, Uzbekistan Airways flight HY053 to Urgench was diverted to Nukus due to low visibility. Meanwhile, flight HY054 on the Urgench-Tashkent route, originally scheduled for 20:20, was repeatedly rescheduled-first to 21:05, then 23:30, 2:30, 4:30, and 8:55-before finally departing at 11:20 on January 7.
“Safety remains the top priority for Uzbekistan Airways. Due to a sharp deterioration in weather conditions, namely the formation of dense fog, a number of the airline’s flights were delayed,” the carrier’s press service said.
According to Uzbekistan Airways, heavy fog was observed not only in regions traditionally prone to such weather, including cities in the Fergana Valley - Namangan, Fergana, and Andijan - but also in northwestern Uzbekistan, specifically Urgench and Nukus, as well as in Bukhara and Termez. On Tuesday evening, operations at Tashkent International Airport were temporarily restricted due to fog.
The airline said it is taking all necessary measures amid the delays, including organizing ground transportation to transfer passengers from airports where weather conditions prevent flight operations to nearby airports where flights can be operated. At the same time, the company noted that such situations are considered force majeure and do not entail an obligation for the airline to provide special conditions for passengers waiting for delayed flights.
The following Uzbekistan Airways flights were operated with delays over the two-day period:
January 6
HY 717/718: Tashkent - Dushanbe - Tashkent
HY 053/054: Tashkent - Urgench - Tashkent
HY 278/279: Istanbul - Urgench - Istanbul
HY 9621/9622: Vnukovo - Andijan (diverted to Fergana)
HY 9621/9608: Fergana - Vnukovo - Bukhara
HY 017/018: Tashkent - Nukus - Tashkent
HY 9823/9824/9834: Fergana - Namangan - Krasnoyarsk - Namangan
HY 9821/9822: Namangan - Irkutsk - Namangan
HY 9616/9615/9620: Vnukovo - Urgench - Vnukovo - Namangan
HY 057/058: Tashkent - Urgench - Tashkent
HY 055/056: Tashkent - Urgench - Tashkent
HY 017/018: Tashkent - Nukus - Tashkent
January 7
HY 017/018: Tashkent - Nukus - Tashkent
HY 051/052: Tashkent - Urgench - Tashkent
HY 015/016: Tashkent - Nukus - Tashkent
HY 069/070: Tashkent - Termez - Tashkent
HY 9767/9768: Nukus - Almaty - Nukus
HY 097/098: Tashkent - Andijan - Tashkent
HY 677/678: Andijan - St. Petersburg - Andijan
HY 9823/9824: Fergana - Krasnoyarsk - Namangan
HY 9821/9822: Namangan - Irkutsk - Namangan
HY 9616/9615: Vnukovo - Urgench - Vnukovo
HY 9619/9620: Namangan - Vnukovo - Namangan
Passengers are notified of flight rescheduling via the email address provided when purchasing tickets. Updates are also published on a dedicated Uzbekistan Airways Telegram channel (@uzairways_live).
Flight delays were also reported by other airlines. Passengers are advised to check schedules in advance.
