Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Today, on 21 March, the first plane of the regional national airline Silk Avia landed at Tashkent International Airport.

According to tradition, the aircraft was solemnly greeted with a water arch, the crew with flowers to the sounds of karnay and surnay.

The first board on the platform of the capital’s airport was met by representatives of Uzbekistan Airports, Silk Avia, journalists, bloggers and airspotters.

The first of three purchased ATR 72-600 aircraft has come a long way. Taking into account the maximum altitude (7600 m) and range (1500 km) of the flight from Bangkok to Tashkent, the aircraft flew with six stops - in Singapore, India, Oman, Egypt, Cyprus and Azerbaijan. In the near future, two more aircraft will arrive in Tashkent, which have also already passed the inspection of the technical condition and painting, performed test flights and received export certificates.

“The creation of an airline is a very complex and responsible process, in which increased attention is paid to checking aircraft for reliability and safety. Given the very high demand for ATR, it was extremely difficult to find suitable aircraft - with good technical performance, older than 2019 and flying hours. We purchased our first three aircraft from Bangkok Airways, three years old and in excellent condition. Today we solemnly welcome one of the three aircraft in Tashkent. According to the rules, the plane arrived absolutely white, but with the numbers of Thailand. Within two to three days, we will “dress” the aircraft in our signature Silk Avia livery, and after receiving the air operator’s certificate from UzAvia, the aircraft will receive a tail number and begin its first flights,” said Rano Juraeva, Chairman of the Board of Uzbekistan Airports.

It is worth noting that the ATR 72-600 is one of the world’s most popular short-haul aircraft with a capacity of 70 passengers. A safe and economical low-cost aircraft, consuming four times less fuel than the A320, will offer passengers reliability and comfort at an affordable price.

The creation of the first low-cost regional airline Silk Avia is provided for by Presidential Decree No. PP-412 “On Additional Measures for the Development of Local Air Services in the Republic” dated October 26, 2022.

At the first stage, the airline’s route network will include the most popular destinations: from Tashkent to Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench, as well as the cities of the Ferghana Valley. Ticket prices start from 180 thousand soums. With the replenishment of the fleet, the route network will expand. Recall that in November last year, Silk Avia and the French-Italian concern ATR signed an agreement on the purchase of five new ATR 72-600 aircraft, which will arrive in Tashkent in 2024.