President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev officially launched the construction of the new Tashkent International Airport by laying a capsule in its foundation. The ceremony took place in the Tashkent region, where one of the largest transport complexes in Central Asia is planned to be built.
The project is part of Uzbekistan’s strategy to become an aviation hub connecting East and West, North and South. According to the head of state, the development of transport infrastructure and modernization of air communications will remain among the main priorities.
In recent years, the number of foreign tourists visiting Uzbekistan has increased from 3 to 10 million. By 2030, this figure is expected to reach 15 million. As tourism and business activity continue to grow, the current Tashkent airport, designed for 11 million passengers per year, can no longer meet demand and cannot be expanded due to its location within the city limits.
Taking this into account, a decision was made to build a new airport in the Urtachirchik and Kuyichirchik districts of the Tashkent region. The total area of the complex will be 1,300 hectares.
The project is being implemented in cooperation with an international consortium of companies — Vision Invest (Saudi Arabia), Sojitz (Japan), and Incheon International Airport Corporation (South Korea). At the first stage, worth $2.5 billion, a terminal complex and airfield will be built. After completion, the airport will be able to handle up to 20 million passengers and 129,000 tons of cargo annually, perform up to 30 takeoffs and landings per hour, operate 14 jet bridges, and accommodate 62 aircraft simultaneously.
The new airport will comply with ICAO standards for flight safety and service quality. It will be equipped with advanced air navigation and meteorological systems, enabling aircraft to land in all weather conditions.
Particular attention is given to environmental requirements. The complex will become the first airport in the region built according to “green” construction principles. The terminal will feature a 46,000-square-meter duty-free zone.
The new airport will be part of a multimodal transport hub linking it with the Tashkent–Samarkand, Tashkent–Andijan, and Tashkent–Bostonlyk highways. A modern railway station for high-speed trains will also be built, and shuttle transport will connect the centers of Tashkent and New Tashkent.
The development of the aviation sector is accompanied by modernization of infrastructure across the country. Reconstruction of seven international airports is underway, and new airports have already been built in Muynak, Kokand, Zaamin, Shakhrisabz, Saryasiya, and Sokh. The total number of airports in Uzbekistan will reach eighteen.
In recent years, a competitive environment has been created in the industry. Fifteen new airlines have appeared, and the aircraft fleet has increased from 26 to 105 planes. Regular flights to Uzbekistan are operated by 51 airlines from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, South Korea, China, India, Malaysia, Turkey, Russia, Poland, and other countries.
Over the next five years, according to government plans, the fleet will grow to 180 aircraft, the number of routes to 230, and the annual number of flights to 200,000.
The new international airport will become not only a transport hub but also an economic center. According to calculations, its operation will bring the country more than $27 billion in revenue, contribute to the development of industry and tourism, and create thousands of new jobs.
At the end of the ceremony, Shavkat Mirziyoyev thanked foreign partners, financial institutions, and specialists involved in the project, noting that the construction of the new airport would lay the foundation for turning Uzbekistan into a major aviation hub of the region.