Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) air freight unit, Malaysia Airlines Cargo Sdn Bhd (MASkargo), is establishing a freight hub in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital, this month to tap the fast-growing cargo business in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Business Times reported.

It is understood that the hub will take over functions of its existing Dubai hub. However, it will maintain its other hubs in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Melbourne and Shanghai. MASkargo has already started a twice-weekly freighter service to Tashkent from July 1 this year.

"We are finalising talks with Air Uzbekistan, which will act as our ground handler there. Air Uzbekistan will assist us in developing the market in the CIS," MASkargo newly-appointed managing director Shahari Sulaiman said on the sidelines of Air Freight Asia 2007 in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Dubbed "The Silk Road", MASkargo will fly from Shanghai to Tashkent and onwards to Amsterdam.