flydubai Aircraft on the ground surrounded by ground equipment and staff.
| © flydubai
Today, Uzbekistan welcomed Dubai-native airline flydubai’s inaugural Uzbekistan flight to Samarkand International Airport (SKD). This milestone route is set to strengthen the country’s relationship with UAE and make Uzbekistan more accessible to tourists.
A flydubai aircraft during take-off.
flydubai successfully completed its first flight serving the Dubai-Samarkand route | © Md Shaifuzzaman Ayon

Flights to Uzbekistan’s Popular City Could Mean Growth in Tourism Sector

“flydubai is committed to opening up underserved markets and strengthening the links from Dubai and the UAE with the region. We are excited to see our network in Uzbekistan grow with the launch of flights to Samarkand.” – Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai
Operating twice a week from Dubai International Airport (DXB), flydubai will be issuing flights on Tuesdays and Fridays to Samarkand. This is the first flight the airline serves in Uzbekistan, but won’t be the only one for long as flydubai is set to commence its Dubai-Namangan route on the 24th September. By the end of the week, there will be 10 weekly flydubai flights to Uzbekistan.

The steady flow of passenger traffic into the Central-Asian country puts an optimistic view on Uzbekistan’s tourism sector growth. Samarkand, commonly referred to as part of the Silk Road, holds large historic importance that would interest historians and visitors alike. Adding more frequent flights in and out of the country will definitely help optimise the number of tourists visiting, which in turn, would see Uzbekistan’s economy develop.

Wide view of Registan Square in Samarkand.
Travellers will be able to see Samarkand’s mosaic-laden landmark, the Registan | © Ekrem Canli

A Newer Airport to be Developed Following flydubai’s Inaugural Flight to Samarkand

Samarkand International Airport is in the midst of an $80million redevelopment project, made possible through partnership with Air Marakanda and Uzbekistan Airports, which will be more equipped to serve the country’s population of 3.9 million in their travels. The renovated SKD will become Uzbekistan’s hub for international travel and will be able to hold triple the amount of passengers as it had previously.

The airport is also set to welcome a significantly larger amount of passenger traffic, as calculated by Lufthansa Consulting. By the end of its expansion, SKD will be seeing growth from 480,000 annual passengers to an estimated 2 million.

“Cooperating with our valued partners at flydubai, we have established a direct link between Samarkand International Airport and one of the biggest and most vibrant economic hubs in the world. Air Marakanda is very glad to welcome the new airline and we are committed to provide passengers to and from Dubai with a best-in-class airport experience.” – Gairat Nematov, General Director of Air Marakanda LLC

What are your thoughts on flydubai’s newest route? Let us know in the comments below!

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