Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- More than 170 representatives of the leadership of airlines, airports and the tourism industry from Central Asian countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Mongolia and others took part in the international conference "Asia Connect: Development of airline route networks in a new reality". Delegates and speakers from the USA, Germany, Turkey, China, Kuwait, and the UAE also took part in the conference.

The conference participants highly appreciated the richness of the agenda and the level of the speakers, the practical value of the materials presented and the opportunity to develop business contacts in the luxurious atmosphere of a well-organized event.

“Now many new airlines are being created in Uzbekistan. I hope that in the near future this will support the demand for the development of tourism and business activity in all regions of the country. As a holding that manages 11 international airports, we are trying to prepare the airport infrastructure as quickly as possible to meet this demand,” added Rano Juraeva, General Director of Uzbekistan Airports.

Significant changes in global air transport following the pandemic and war in Europe have led to the emergence of new routes and connections, increasing the role of the Central Asian region. The volume of traffic - both passenger and cargo - is growing steadily, delivering solid financial results and creating promising investment opportunities. The integration of the countries of Central Asia into the world economy intensifies the development of their air transport.

Samarkand, one of the most important points of the Silk Road, has been located at the crossroads of world cultures for more than two and a half millennia. Therefore, it is so symbolic that the conference dedicated to the problems and prospects for the development of air routes was held in Samarkand.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage Nusratilla Zikrillaev greeted all the participants and read a speech on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage Aziz Abdukhakimov. “The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan has identified the tourism sector as one of the strategic sectors of the national economy. We expect the tourist flow to grow to 7 million tourists, and the export of tourist services to US$2 billion. The government is actively implementing an "open door" policy, the visa system is being simplified: over the past three years, the number of visa-free countries has increased from 9 to 90, a system for issuing electronic visas has been introduced for citizens of 54 countries. For foreign airlines, an open skies regime has been introduced. However, we see that demand significantly exceeds supply, and the capacity of existing airlines is not enough to meet the needs of both citizens of Uzbekistan and guests of the republic.”

The key topics of the conference were:

Paths connecting East and West in modern conditions.

Central Asia in the new reality of air transport.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi briefing: expansion plans and partnership roadmap.

Samarkand: air gateway to the historical Silk Road.

International airports of Uzbekistan: development strategy.

How airlines adapt to market changes.

Risks and opportunities for airlines in the new reality.

How can airlines, airports, tourism authorities and other industry stakeholders better collaborate to develop air travel in the Central Asian region?

Tourism (inbound and outbound) in Central Asia and development prospects.

New trends in logistics in Central Asia and neighboring countries.

“Central Asia is becoming an increasingly interesting market for commercial aviation, and we are paying close attention to this region. We were happy to be in Samarkand, support the conference, share our vision of the current situation in the region and its development prospects, provide an overview of the aviation market and meet with our customers,” said Mario Antonio Ebsim, director of the strategy and market development at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Sardor Irmukhamedov, Director of the Department of Tariffs and Commercial Agreements of Uzbekistan Airways, noted: “As part of the conference, international and local experts presented an analysis of the aviation market in the region. In the post-pandemic period, the development of the aviation business has changed a lot. Every day we face new challenges and opportunities that allow us to consider and explore new markets. Uzbekistan Airways is actively working to increase the fleet of aircraft and the frequency of flights on existing routes, as well as the opening of new routes, which in turn will have a positive impact in attracting both direct and passengers who want to fly through Uzbekistan in transit.”