- Air Samarkand unveiled with arrival of first Airbus A330 aircraft
- Carrier being established as part of major tourism initiative in one of Asia's oldest cities
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Nov. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new airline is to launch direct services from Uzbekistan's second-largest city of Samarkand, as part of a major tourism and commercial drive for the historic region.
Air Samarkand will operate scheduled and charter flights from Samarkand to a growing number of destinations before the end of 2023 – beginning with services to cities in Turkey, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and China.
Air Samarkand plans further expansion into Europe over the next 12 months as it grows its fleet of Airbus A330 and A320 aircraft. The full-service carrier expects to have five aircraft in operation before the end of 2023.
Bakhtiyor Fazylov, a Uzbek business leader and founder of Air Samarkand, says: "The launch of this new airline is a significant event for the future development of Uzbekistan as a tourism, cultural and business centre. We are delighted to welcome Air Samarkand's first aircraft, which will soon operate competitive direct flights with a safe and quality service to the most popular international destinations."
Located in eastern Uzbekistan, Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in Asia, with its origins said to date back to the seventh or eighth millennium BC. A prosperous centre of the silk trade and situated on the famed Silk Road, it is in the heart of the country's ancient and medieval tourist attractions that exist in Samarkand and the surrounding Bukhara, Khiva, Shakhrisabz, and Zaamin National Park regions.
The launch of Air Samarkand coincides with the arrival of its first Airbus A330-300, which landed today (2 November) at the newly redeveloped Samarkand International Airport.
Utilising a fleet of modern, safe and fuel-efficient Airbus aircraft, Air Samarkand will provide the 12.6 million people in its local catchment area with the option of taking direct services to key cities in Asia and Europe. This will remove the current need to use time-wasting flight connections to Tashkent and other regional airports.
Today, Air Samarkand unveiled the new livery on its first Airbus A330. This modern aircraft will offer a two-cabin configuration of 277 economy and 36 business class seats on non-stop flights with a range of up to 11,500 km. It will provide a spacious twin aisle cabin with large overhead storage for hand luggage, high standards of passenger seat comfort and an inflight entertainment system (IFE) delivered to passengers via screens built-in into every seat.
Air Samarkand Airlines is part of a large-scale project for the development of the Samarkand region, which involves a significant investment in infrastructure with new airport facilities, a multi-faceted Samarkand Silk Road Samarkand tourist centre in the city – the first international tourism resort in Middle Asia embracing four and five-star hotels – and several other first-class facilities that are currently being built.
Mr Fazylov adds: "Over the past year we have implemented a large-scale project to develop the Silk Road Samarkand Tourist Centre, which has already begun to bring the tourism potential of the region to a qualitatively new level, combining ancient heritage with modern infrastructure and facilities. This development will continue with the launch of Air Samarkand's services, which will soon directly connect the ancient city of Samarkand with major tourism and commercial centres."
Air Samarkand expects to welcome the arrival of a second, Airbus A231 aircraft in the coming days. It is designed for medium-haul routes and will mark a rapid development of the Air Samarkand fleet, with the airline hoping to have 5 aircraft in operation by the end of 2023.
The first route developments will be announced in the coming weeks, as Air Samarkand gears up to the launch of its initial services.
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