Uzbekistan Airports Joint Stock Company (JSC) and Changi Airports International (CAI) have signed an agreement to jointly develop Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Under the agreement, CAI will provide consultancy and technical services to Uzbekistan Airports JSC in the management and operation of the existing Tashkent Airport, which includes capacity optimization, improving operational standards, commercial planning and traffic development. CAI will also work with Uzbekistan Airports JSC to develop and complete a feasibility study in relation to the new Tashkent Airport Project.
The partners assert that Uzbekistan, located at the heart of Central Asia and the crossroads of Europe and Asia, has a bourgeoning tourism industry buoyed by its rich cultural heritage and natural beauty. Passenger traffic at Tashkent Airport, the country’s main airport, reportedly exceeded pre-Covid-19 levels in 2022 to reach 5.0 million passengers. With robust traffic growth expected from the budding tourism industry, Uzbekistan Airports JSC plans to optimize the operations of the current Tashkent Airport and develop a new airport to help advance the country’s trade and tourism potential.
Rano Juraeva, chairman of the board of Uzbekistan Airports JSC, and Eugene Gan, CEO of CAI, signed the agreement in Tashkent on May 24, 2023 as part of the Uzbek-Singapore business forum, in front of Jamshid Khodjaev, Uzbekistan deputy prime minister and Halimah Yacob, president of Singapore.
Rano Juraeva, chairman of the board of Uzbekistan Airports JSC, said, “Tashkent has a huge potential as an international hub connecting Europe and Asia. The existing airport has many limitations – with its location in the center of the city, there is simply nowhere to expand it. At the same time, passenger traffic is fast increasing with the airport reaching its capacity and not having enough aircraft parking lots during peak periods. Therefore, we are working on the issue of building a new airport. We have invited the best airport in the world, Changi Airports International, to be our consultant to help us develop a feasibility study, taking into account the creation of an international hub and the use of the most modern airport technologies in the construction of a new air harbor. They will also provide consultancy to optimize the operation of the existing airport in terms of aviation and non-aviation activities.”
Eugene Gan, CEO of CAI, said, “Changi Airports International is pleased to collaborate with Uzbekistan Airports JSC. Uzbekistan is one of the fastest-growing countries in the Central Asia region with great potential for business and tourism. We look forward to sharing our airport development and management expertise to optimize the capacity, operational standards and financial performance of Tashkent International Airport as well as support the plans to develop the new airport, which is in the pipeline, to support Uzbekistan’s plans to grow its trade and tourism industries.”
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