The Southern Urals, Russia, has resumed direct flights to Uzbekistan. Creation of air routes to Asia is a necessary step ahead of the SCO and BRICS summits, which are supposed to be held in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2020.

Now, the flight schedule of the airport in Chelyabinsk has regular flights to Tashkent,Uzbekistan. The load of the debut flight operated in mid-November 2016 was 93% or by 12% more than one expected, while the airport in Chelyabinskpredicts a further increase in demand.

Departures from Chelyabinsk to Tashkent are carried out on the Airbus A-320 liner, which seats up to 160 passengers, once a week, on Fridays. The minimum fare for air tickets amounted RUR 10,000, taking into account the fuel surcharge (airfares are higher when flying from Yekaterinburg, Russia).

Anton Perfiliev, the First Deputy Director General, Chelyabinsk International Airport, said, “For the airport in Chelyabinsk, this flight will be one of the key points of growth. The development of air traffic to the CIS has good prospects, given the tendency of strengthening business cooperation between the two countries”.

Currently, the main passenger air traffic is generated by migrant workers and members of the business community, but experts do not rule out the prospects for the development of tourism potential of these areas.

It is cheaper to build infrastructure projects with Asia rather than with Europe.

Daria Erhova, representative of the Chelyabinsk Tourist Organizations Association, said, “Interest in the former CIS countries grows. Currently, vacation in Georgia, including the beach, is at the peak of demand for the Southern Urals. Uzbekistan has always been attractive in terms of sight-seeing visits, for example, demand for tours to ancient Samarkand, Khiva and Bukhara. This is charming sunny land with its exceptional history and amazing landscape diversity.

Experts say that the earlier tours to Tashkent were less in demand, as the flights were carried out only through Moscow and they were more expensive, but launching of the direct flight should encourage lovers to save on an exotic holiday.

According to Anton Bakhaev, the First Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Chelyabinsk Region, in the coming years, there are plans to establish air links between Chelyabinsk and all the capitals of the SCO countries. One has already established direct flights to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Negotiations are underway with the two airlines to launch Chelyabinsk– Astana, Kazakhstan, flight, which is expected to start next spring.

According to Irina Prosvirina, manager of the accounting, analysis and audit department, Higher School of Economics under the South Ural State University, it is more far-sighted nowadays to implement infrastructure projects with Asia rather than with Europe, because the European logistics sector has long been formed. The air traffic en route Chelyabinsk – Tashkent has a large economic outlook, as the launch of scheduled flights will contribute to the growth of business activity.

Reference Information

Aircraft began flying from Chelyabinsk to Tashkent in 2003 but the passenger air traffic fell sharply in 2015 and flights to Uzbekistanwere abolished.