Uzbekistan Airways Plans Merger of Low-Cost Carrier Express and Silk Avia

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan Airways is considering merging its low-cost carrier Uzbekistan Airways Express with the regional airline Silk Avia.

On 28 January 2026, the Chairman of the national airline, Shukhrat Khudaykulov, stated that “major changes” in the structure of Silk Avia are expected this year.

“We have the Uzbekistan Airways Express brand, which operates on Uzbekistan Airways routes and offers tickets at prices 20% lower. We launched this brand in the market as a low-cost carrier with certain limitations. We want to merge Uzbekistan Airways Express and Silk Avia to present a single high-quality product in the market. We are seriously considering this and will announce it publicly once the team is convinced,” Khudaykulov emphasized.

Uzbekistan Airways Express began operating under the low-cost model in August 2021. The first four aircraft were converted to all-economy configuration, and the first flight was on the Tashkent–Moscow route. The 20% reduction in ticket prices is achieved by limiting onboard services.

Last year, the regional airline Silk Avia reduced the number of flights due to maintenance of two ATR-72 aircraft. These 2018-built planes were sent to France for engine servicing to ensure flight safety.

According to Khudaykulov, the aircraft will return to service within a month, and the winter season was chosen for maintenance due to lower demand. Flight frequency is expected to increase during the high season.

Silk Avia operates a fleet of five ATR-72 aircraft, two of which were out of service for extended maintenance periods.

The merger with the low-cost carrier will allow the airline to offer a more unified product to passengers on domestic and regional routes.