Samarkand Airport scales back summer route network amid Middle East tensions and carrier shift

Image: Air Marakanda

During the spring‑summer 2026 scheduling season, 18 airlines will operate services on 19 routes from Samarkand International Airport (SKD), according to Air Marakanda, the ground handling operator and manager of the Uzbek airport’s new terminal.

The figures represent a notable year‑on‑year contraction. In 2025, 24 carriers operated scheduled flights on 30 routes from Samarkand. The reduction is attributed to two primary factors: ongoing disruptions in the Middle East, which have led to restrictions and temporary suspensions of flights to airports in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Israel; and Uzbek carrier Centrum Air’s decision to scale back its Samarkand operations in favor of building a transit hub at Tashkent, the national capital.

Moscow remains the most heavily served destination from Uzbekistan’s second‑largest airport, with a combined 60 weekly frequencies across four metro airports: Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky.

Istanbul ranks second by demand, with Turkish Airlines and Uzbekistan Airways jointly offering 13 weekly flights.

Ural Airlines will operate four weekly flights to Yekaterinburg. Turkish carrier SunExpress will launch three weekly flights to Izmir. Kazakh airline Vietjet Qazaqstan will also serve Astana with the same frequency (three weekly flights).

During the season, Uzbekistan Airways plans to launch services to Tel Aviv and increase its frequency on the Kazan route to twice weekly.

In mid‑March, direct air links were established between Samarkand and Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. The route is operated by Kazakh low‑cost carrier FlyArystan with a frequency of two weekly rotations.

On the domestic front, Tashkent leads with 10 weekly flights.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Uzbekistan becomes the leading international destination for Russian airlines.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Centrum Air to implement IT platform for operational planning.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Centrum Air scales back Samarkand operations, reinforces Tashkent hub.