On November 26, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev familiarized himself with a presentation on the progress of transformation in state-owned railway and aviation companies - Uzbekistan Airports, Uzbekistan Airways and Uzbekistan Railways.
According to the presidential press service, six independent enterprises were created within Uzbekistan Railways. 1,200 new freight cars were purchased, and the timelines for transporting goods on domestic routes was halved.
Following digitalization, the process of ordering a car was reduced from 7 stages to 3, and the timeline for its execution was reduced from 72 hours to 12 hours. The capacity of trains around Tashkent increased by 30%. Reportedly, a company, which previously operated at a loss, is making a profit of 30 billion soums this year.
The number of flights iby the Uzbekistan Airways has increased by 25%. Eight new aircraft were added for flying to domestic routes, and the number of domestic flights increased by 2.5 times. The share of the national airline in the Central Asia reached 20%. The annual passenger flow is expected to exceed 6 million people.
Uzbekistan Airports, which manages airports and services aircraft, cargo and passengers, is also showing a positive trend. 44 airlines from around the world operate flights to Uzbekistan. This year, the airport will serve over 13 million people, and the goal is to increase the figure to 15 million.
The President emphasized that the importance of transport routes is increasingly growing in the current difficult geopolitical situation in the world. Therefore, he called it important to diversify routes, speed up transportation and reduce the cost of transport services.
"Uzbekistan’s economy and international trade are growing every year, the income of the population and the tourism potential of the provinces are growing. We have set ourselves the goal of increasing the gross domestic product to US$ 200 billion by 2030. Therefore, we must pay special attention to transport arteries, - said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
On November 26, the President signed the Railway Transport Bill into Law in a new version, which should open up new opportunities for attracting private companies and investments, as well as for developing infrastructure.
Now, industry leaders have been instructed to radically change their working methods and approaches to achieve results. First of all, it is necessary to accelerate the transformation of the sector, qualitatively implement construction and modernization projects. Among the most important tasks are obtaining an international credit rating, attracting funds without a state guarantee and efficient use of investments.
At the meeting, Shavkat Mirziyoyev underscored that air traffic in Uzbekistan had not yet reached a level that satisfies the population. Obtaining an international rating and entering the external financial market are delayed. As a result, the high cost of services does not allow for a significant reduction in the cost of air tickets. Cost-cutting measures are being implemented slowly.
In this regard, the head of state set a goal to develop a specific program and a "road map" for transformation with the involvement of a consulting company.
The main thing in the Uzbekistan Airports system is called an increase in the volume of services provided and the expansion of private partnership terms. After the hand-over of Samarkand airport to private management, the number of flights and passengers increased fivefold, the report says. Now similar tasks are facing the airports of Namangan, Andijan, Bukhara and Urgench. By the end of the year, it is planned to double the number of additional (non-aviation) services at airports and increase revenues by 25%.
The President defined measures to attract independent resources from the international market and fully utilize the terminal of Navoi airport.
The head of state gave instructions to expedite digitalization in three companies, revise development plans and improve economic efficiency.
