March 7, 2025, Samarkand. Kazakh airline QAZAQ AIR is to resume regular flights on the Turkistan-Samarkand route, effective from May 1, 2025.
Services will be operated twice a week according to the following schedule (all local times):
Thursdays:
· Departure from Turkistan at 19:10, arrival in Samarkand at 20:00.
· Departure from Samarkand at 21:00, arrival in Turkistan at 21:50.
Sundays:
· Departure from Turkistan at 10:10, arrival in Samarkand at 11:00.
· Departure from Samarkand at 12:00, arrival in Turkistan at 13:00.
The route also provides convenient connecting flights with QAZAQ AIR to Astana, with onward connecting flights departing from Turkistan for the capital of Kazakhstan in as little as 40 minutes.
The news came soon after Samarkand International Airport announced a further expansion of its direct route network with services to Baku and Krasnoyarsk. Azerbaijan Airlines it to operate two flights a week to the Azerbaijan capital of Baku on Wednesdays and Sundays, while Ural Airlines is to introduce direct flights to Krasnoyarsk, the largest economic, educational and cultural center of the East Siberian Federal District every Tuesday. Both services commence on 1st April.
Ulugbek Shamsikulov, CEO of Air Marakanda, the airport management company for Samarkand airport, said: "The resumption of services between Samarkand and Turkistan, provides an important link between two spiritual and historical centers. This route also strengthens the commercial and business links between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.”
Samarkand International Airport was named the fastest growing airport in Europe and Central Asia by the Airports Council International (ACI), with 1.38 million passengers passing through the ultra-modern terminal. This equated to growth of 36.6% compared with 2023 when Samarkand surpassed the one-million passenger mark for the first time. In 2024 ACI figures showed that Samarkand grew twice as quickly as the next fastest growing airport in the Europe/Central Asia region.
Added Mr Shamsikulov: “Overseas visitors to Samarkand can enjoy the modern tourism infrastructure that has been carefully curated to help showcase the historic treasures that are housed in one of the world’s oldest cities. An increasing number of tourists are recognizing to treasures in Samarkand and our neighboring areas of Urumqi, Xi'an, Baku, Mineralnye Vody, Sochi and Izmir, locations that offer such rich historical heritage.”
Tickets for the new QAZAQ AIR service to Turkistan can be purchased on its official website, as well as at the round-the-clock ticket office of Samarkand International Airport.
Notes to Editors:
AIR MARAKANDA is the ground handling and management operator of the new terminal of Samarkand International Airport, which was the first public-private partnership project to be built in the aviation industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan. For three years in a row, the new international terminal of Samarkand Airport has been among the top ten regional leaders in the Central Asian region of the international airport rating World Airport Awards (SKYTRAX).
Award-winning Air Marakanda received four major honors at the prestigious international BLUESKY Aviation Awards 2024, taking home prizes for Innovative Design Project, Aviation Destination Promotion, Aviation Accessibility Project for Passengers with Disabilities and Aviation Cooperation and Partnership Development.
