China has agreed to increase weekly flight limits with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, while a separate deal between the two Central Asian neighbours will allow more services on regional routes. The agreements were reached during the third meeting of the Central Asia–China (C5+1) Working Group on Civil Aviation Cooperation, held in Tashkent.
Uzbekistan and China agreed to raise the limit on weekly flights between the two countries from 100 to 114. Kazakhstan reached a separate agreement with China to increase its permitted weekly frequencies from 150 to 180, while adding Chengdu and Kashgar to the list of destinations airlines are authorised to serve.
The latest agreements build on the Air Silk Road initiative, which aims to open new routes and make it easier for airlines to operate across borders. In January 2024, Uzbekistan's Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Administration of China signed an agreement to jointly develop the initiative, and Kyrgyzstan signed its own memorandum with China in 2024.
Uzbekistan now wants travellers flying from China and neighbouring Central Asian countries to Europe to be able to change planes at its airports, according to Jamoliddin Nazarov, Head of the Air Transport Department at the country's Ministry of Transport. Qanat Tologonov, Deputy Director of Kyrgyzstan's State Civil Aviation Agency, stated that working with Chinese colleagues opened a new air corridor in 2025, followed by Chengdu Airlines launching a weekly direct service between Kashgar and Osh in April 2026. In Kazakhstan, airlines want to serve more Chinese cities beyond major hubs such as Beijing and Shanghai, according to Saltanat Tompiyeva, Chair of the country's Civil Aviation Committee.
The Tashkent meeting also produced agreements covering flights between Central Asian countries themselves. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan agreed to raise the permitted number of weekly flights between Tashkent and both Almaty and Astana from 42 to 60 on each route, and increased the limit on other routes between the two countries from 14 to 20 flights a week.
Kazakhstan's Civil Aviation Committee says the changes will help meet growing demand for travel between the two countries. Vietjet Qazaqstan launched direct flights from Astana to Bishkek and Samarkand in November 2025, increasing frequencies on both routes in early 2026. Adilbek Umraliyev, the airline's CEO, told Euronews that further opportunities exist in smaller regional destinations, highlighting Bukhara and Samarkand for their quite significant tourism potential.
Umraliyev noted that rising fuel prices and airport charges are making regional flights more expensive to operate and called for closer cooperation between aviation authorities and airlines to address these costs. Tologonov added that passenger demand is another consideration, stating there needs to be sufficient passenger traffic, business activity and economic demand in each country for smaller cities seeking regular international flights.
Source: Euronews. Read the original report ↗