Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan is preparing to transfer the airports in Andijan and Namangan to private management under public-private partnership projects, Transport Minister Ilkhom Makhkamov said in an interview with O’zbekiston 24 television.
According to Makhkamov, public-private partnership projects are currently being implemented at several airports across the country. In addition to the new international airport in Tashkent, relevant projects are underway in Urgench, Bukhara, Andijan and Namangan.
Urgench International Airport is being developed jointly with South Korea’s Incheon International Airport Corporation. Tender procedures are continuing in Bukhara, while preparations are underway to transfer the airports in Andijan and Namangan to private management.
Particular attention is being paid to the construction of a new international airport in Tashkent. Practical work on the project has already begun. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed officials to sign the necessary agreements with the private partner, begin construction at the site and set a timeline for the project.
Work on the new international airport in Bukhara has also been ordered to be accelerated, with particular attention to the quality of the project and its compliance with modern requirements.
Makhkamov said reforms in the aviation sector carried out since 2019 had created new opportunities for its development. In this regard, the government has set a task to develop a 10-year aviation industry development strategy. A Spanish company has been engaged in this work, and the strategy is expected to be presented by the end of 2026.
In addition, the Transport Ministry has been instructed to take measures to develop airlines and prepare for an audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), scheduled for next year.
As part of the further development of the aviation sector, authorities will also determine a unified strategy, the number of airports requiring modernization and the potential for transforming them into regional aviation hubs.
