Singapore Changi Airport has welcomed the arrival of Uzbekistan Airways, making the launch of Singapore's first direct air link to Central Asia, according to Shipping Gazette.
"This marks a significant milestone Changi as it establishes the first air bridge between Singapore and Central Asia, reaffirming our status as an important air hub," said Changi Airport Group vice president Lim Ching Kiat.
The national carrier of the Republic of Uzbekistan will operate a twice-weekly service between Tashkent and Singapore, through a circular routing with Kuala Lumpur, utilising a 247-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft.
Akmal Akbarov, first deputy general director of Uzbekistan Airways and Nabijon Kasimov, chairman of the Association of Private Touristic Organisations of Uzbekistan, were on board the inaugural flight.
They were welcomed by Alisher Kurmanov, Uzbekistani ambassador to South Korea and former ambassador to Singapore, as well as Wong Woon Liong, senior advisor of Changi Airport Group.
Uzbekistan Airways and Tashkent are respectively the second carrier and second new city link this year for Changi Airport. This follows the launch of a service to Guiyang by Lucky Air in January.
The new Tashkent-Singapore service is opens for business and tourism into the respective hinterlands. From its Tashkent hub, Uzbekistan Airways provides travellers direct and quick access to Central Asia and the Russian Siberian Federal District through its extensive regional flight network.
Uzbekistan is among Central Asia's most rapidly developing economies. Since 2006, the country's GDP growth has performed better than those of developing European and Central Asian markets.
With its robust economic growth, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has forecast Uzbekistan to be the fastest growing market for international passenger traffic by 2017.
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