Centrum Air becomes network anchor at Samarkand airport

:: Air Marakanda

Samarkand International Airport (SKD) has released additional operational statistics for 2025. As previously reported by CentralAsia+ Aero, Uzbekistan’s second-largest gateway celebrated a fourth consecutive passenger record last year, handling 1.521 million, a 10% year-on-year increase.

This growth was entirely driven by the international sector, which surged 12% to 1.459 million passengers. In contrast, domestic traffic continued its downward trend, falling to approximately 62,000.

The total number of flights remained stable at over 11,000.

In 2025, twenty-four carriers served 30 destinations, with 11 new routes launched. Six of them — Astana, Baku, Krasnodar, Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk, and Medina — being retained for 2026.

The podium of top destinations (Moscow, Istanbul, St. Petersburg) remained unchanged, but the exit of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi reshuffled the rankings, moving Jeddah up and propelling Tashkent into the top five.

With local airline Air Samarkand undergoing restructuring, privately-owned Centrum Air moved to fill the void. By year’s end, it was operating services to ten destinations from SKD—a third of the total network—establishing itself as the airport’s most active single operator across both international and domestic segments.

Supporting operational growth, the airport’s managing company Air Marakanda achieved a milestone by becoming the first Uzbek aviation entity to attain integrated ISO certification, aligning its systems with international standards for quality, environment, and safety.

Looking ahead, Air Marakanda states its 2026 focus is on “further developing the passenger experience, expanding the flight network geography, and modernizing infrastructure.”

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Samarkand Airport hits record 1.5M passengers as growth momentum eases.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Private Uzbek airlines launch historic UK services.