Construction of the New Tashkent International Airport is scheduled to break ground this July. This update was shared by Deputy Minister of Transport Jasurbek Choriyev today during the ADB annual meetings in Samarkand.
According to the Deputy Minister, the public-private partnership (PPP) agreement for the project is in its final stages and is expected to be signed by mid-May.
The Deputy Minister noted that a major consortium of investors and partners is already assembled and ready to move forward. "We just need to sign the primary document with the private investor, which outlines the terms and conditions for both the private and public partners," he explained.
Choriyev also clarified that the government is not providing specific guarantees regarding flight volume or passenger traffic.
"We have forecasts, and they are very promising. We are seeing an annual growth rate of about 30%, which is massive. To sustain this, infrastructure development is critical. We realize that by 2029, the current airport will have reached its maximum capacity. Therefore, we must open a new airport with at least double the handling capacity for arrivals and departures," he noted.
When asked about the future of the current Tashkent airport, the Deputy Minister explained that the plan is to decommission the old facility once the new one opens.
“In principle, a conceptual decision has been made and is part of the agreement with our private partners. If we open a new airport, it only makes sense that we close the old one. However, exactly what will be built on that site remains to be seen,” said Jasurbek Choriyev.
The New Tashkent International Airport will be constructed in the Tashkent province, spanning 1,300 hectares across the Urtachirchik and Kuyichirchik districts. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev officially gave the green light for the project in October 2025.
The decision to build a new hub stems from a massive surge in travel; over the last eight years, passenger traffic to the capital has tripled to 9 million annually and is projected to exceed 24 million by 2040. The current airport, located within city limits, is capped at a capacity of 11 million.
The project is being developed through a public-private partnership (PPP) involving a high-profile international consortium:
- Vision Invest (Saudi Arabia) – 45%
- Sojitz Corporation (Japan) – 30%
- Incheon International Airport Corporation (South Korea) – 15%
- Uzbekistan Airports (Uzbekistan) – 10%
The project is divided into four phases. The first stage, valued at $2.5 billion, includes the construction of the terminal complex and the airfield. Upon completion, the airport will be capable of handling 20 million passengers and 129,000 tons of cargo annually, with the capacity for 30 takeoffs and landings per hour and parking for 62 aircraft simultaneously.
To ensure connectivity, the new airport will be linked by toll expressways to Samarkand, Andijan, and Bostanlyk, as well as a high-speed rail line. Additionally, dedicated shuttle services will run between the centers of Tashkent and New Tashkent.
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