TezJet license revoked following serious incident

Image: Airports of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan’s aviation authorities have revoked of what they called license (the air operator certificate, AOC) of private carrier TezJet, following a serious incident at Bishkek’s Manas International Airport on July 7. The enforcement action comes shortly after the Central Asian nation was removed from the European Union’s aviation safety blacklist.

During the initial takeoff roll for local flight K9 117 from Bishkek to Osh, the left main landing gear of a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (registration EX-80003) collapsed. All 187 occupants were evacuated via emergency slides.

The Civil Aviation State Agency of Kyrgyzstan (CASA) immediately launched an official investigation into the accident. Concurrently, agency inspectors initiated an unscheduled audit of TezJet’s operations, which uncovered gross regulatory violations directly compromising flight safety, it said. The findings prompted the immediate revocation of the carrier’s AOC.

In the wake of the incident, CASA has ordered mandatory unscheduled safety audits for all remaining Kyrgyz airlines.

The grounding follows Kyrgyzstan’s landmark removal last month from the EU Air Safety List, ending a 20-year ban. As part of the multi-year compliance push to exit the blacklist, 14 of the country’s 21 registered airlines—primarily cargo operators—had already seen their operational certificates revoked in 2025.  

TezJet commenced operations in 2014, long functioning as a subsidiary and partner of fellow Kyrgyz carrier Avia Traffic Company. The airline’s fleet comprises four legacy aircraft: two MD-83 narrowbodies and two Avro RJ85 regional jets. The MD-83s were utilized on key domestic route between Bishkek and Osh, as well as on three international routes from the capital to Moscow, Delhi, and Tashkent. Meanwhile, the RJ85s operated scheduled flights to four regional airports within Kyrgyzstan.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Aeroflot to carry fewer passengers to Kyrgyzstan this year.