Kyrgyzstan authorities ground over half of national air carriers

:: Flysky Airlines

Between the autumn of 2025 and February 2026, Kyrgyz authorities revoked or suspended the Air Operator Certificates (AOC) of 11 out of the country’s 21 commercial carriers.

The audit of existing certificates was launched in late 2024 at the initiative of President Sadyr Japarov, as part of a broader government effort to remove Kyrgyzstan’s civil aviation from the European Union’s “black list.” The immediate catalyst for the crackdown was the crash of an Il-76TD transport aircraft, formerly registered in Kyrgyzstan, which was shot down over Sudan.

According to the State Committee for Civil Aviation of Kyrgyzstan, as of early February, six cargo airlines have been stripped of their certificates: Flysky Airlines, SAPSAN, Skyline Airlines, Gewan Airways, and Blue JET Airways KG, along with helicopter operators HeliSky and Trans Caravan KG. Additionally, the certificates of cargo carriers New Way Cargo Airlines, KAP KG, and Sky Jet, as well as charter operator Sky KG Airlines, have been suspended.

The total fleet of the grounded carriers consists of 18 aircraft (ten Il-76, three Airbus A330, three Diamond DA-42, and one each of Boeing 757 and 737) and 11 helicopters (ten Mi-8/17 and one Ka-32).