Uzbekistan start-up Air Samarkand has today completed its first flight, operating a return charter service to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen airport with an Airbus A330-300.
Launch of flights comes just two days after the airline on 27 December announced it had secured its air operator’s certificate (AOC). The airline will now operate regular charter flights out of Samarkand to Istanbul using an Airbus A321 as well as its A330 before adding further destinations from the Uzbek city in the coming months.
Air Samarkand chief executive Anton Khojayan says: “The launch of passenger flights from Samarkand is a great event not only for us, but also for our base airport, the city and for Uzbekistan as a whole.
“In the very near future we will see the opening of further destinations, the expansion of the fleet and other key events, including the delivery of two more aircraft in the near future, an Airbus A320 and A321neo.”
The carrier is initially focusing on charter flights, but plans to begin scheduled services from the start of the summer season in late March.
“We have ambitious plans for the rapid development of Air Samarkand, giving passengers safe, direct and high-quality services to a growing number of cities in Asia and Europe as we ramp up operations,” says Khojayan.
