Samarkand Airport hits record 1.5M passengers as growth momentum eases

Image: Air Marakanda

Samarkand International Airport (SKD) served a record-breaking 1.521 million passengers in 2025, according to its managing company, Air Marakanda.

While this marks a historic milestone for Uzbekistan’s second-largest airport, the growth rate has slowed significantly to 10% year-on-year.

This is the fourth consecutive year of expansion for SKD. However, the 2025 performance contrasts sharply with previous surges: passenger traffic doubled in 2023 and grew by 36% in 2024. This year marks growth has dipped to 10%.

Several factors likely contributed to this cooling trend, including the suspension of flights by low-cost carrier Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and a tentative start for the base carrier, Air Samarkand, which continues to refine its business model.

As the first public-private partnership (PPP) in Uzbekistan’s aviation sector, Samarkand Airport remains under the management of Air Marakanda, which oversees ground handling and new passenger terminal operations.