Shakhrisabz Airport today resumed civil aviation operations, the press service of Uzbekistan Airports reported. The first flight of Silk Avia from Tashkent landed at 13:10 local time. The flight time was 1 hour 30 minutes. The L410 aircraft was traditionally greeted with a water arch, and the first passengers were greeted to the sounds of karnays and surnays.
Flights to the airport were launched almost 21 years later. The city's airport was closed in November 2003.
The current airport, built 5 km southwest of Shakhrisabz, was opened in 1983. In 1983-1996, Tashkent to Shakhrisabz flights were operated 4 times a week in the summer months and 3 times a week in the autumn-winter season, and twice a week, planes flew on the Urgench-Shakhrisabz route An-2, An-24, Yak-40, RJ-85 aircraft.
Currently, the airport has the capacity to provide civil aviation flights with 100 people per hour throughput capacity.
The airfield, consisting of a runway 1,554 m long and 35 m wide, two aircraft parking areas and four helipads, can receive ATR-42, ATR-72, L-410 aircraft and all types of helicopters.
Earlier, the resumption of air travel with Shakhrisabz was announced by the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his visit to the Kashkadarya province in October 2023. The launch of flights to this city on ATR aircraft was expected from January 1, 2024.
