Direct Air Route from Kashgar to Tashkent to Begin Operations

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 14 January, the first flight on the international passenger route Kashgar–Tashkent will take off, marking the launch of direct air travel between the two cities. The announcement was made by China Daily, citing the Kashgar Prefecture Department of Commerce of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and reported by Xinhua News Agency.

The new route ends a long-standing absence of direct flights between Kashgar and Tashkent and establishes an efficient air corridor to strengthen humanitarian ties as well as trade and economic cooperation between China and Uzbekistan.

The inaugural flight will be operated by an Airbus A320 with a seating capacity of 180 passengers. Flights will operate under numbers 7Q3166/3167 once a week in both directions. The introduction of direct service will significantly reduce travel time, which previously required connecting flights.

Uzbekistan is one of Kashgar Prefecture’s key trading partners, and bilateral interactions have steadily strengthened in recent years. A significant development in fostering these ties was the implementation, on 1 June 2025, of a visa exemption agreement between the governments of China and Uzbekistan, allowing citizens with regular passports to enter each country visa-free for up to 30 days.

Against this backdrop, the launch of the Kashgar–Tashkent direct flight is expected to boost both tourism and business travel, providing an additional impetus for deepening bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.