Uzbekistan Airways

JSC Uzbekistan Airways, operating as ''Uzbekistan Airways'' ( uz, Oʻzbekiston Havo Yoʻllari, ; russian: Узбекские Авиалинии), is the flag carrier airline of Uzbekistan, headquartered in Tashkent. From its hub at Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport, the airline serves a number of domestic destinations; the company also flies international services to Asia, Europe and North America. In 2022, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced that the company must be reformed in preperation for an IPO.

History

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Uzbek President Islam Karimov in 1992 authorised the creation of Uzbekistan Airways. The airline was established on 28 January 1992, and took over the operations of the Uzbekistan division of Aeroflot on 31 May 1992. In 1993, Uzbekistan Airways acquired its first two Airbus A310-300s. The two A310s were counted as part of the fleet , along with Russian-built aircraft (25 Antonov An-24/26s, one Ilyushin Il-62, 13 Ilyushin Il-76s, one Ilyushin Il-86s, 23 Tupolev Tu-154 and three Yakovlev Yak-40s). By this time, the airline was still the sole operator in the country. Late in 1995, the carrier ordered its first Boeing aircraft: two Boeing 767-300ERs and a single Boeing 757.

Uzbekistan Airways was the launch customer for the Ilyushin Il-114; it took delivery of the first, locally assembled aircraft, in July 1998. Two more Boeing 757-200s were directly ordered from Boeing in April 1999. Late in 1999, the company took ownership of the first of these two 184-seater Boeing 757-200.

At , the airline had 16,296 employees. At this time, the fleet comprised three Airbus A310-300s, three Antonov An-12s, one Antonov An-24, 18 Antonov An-24Bs, three Antonov An-24RVs, three Boeing 757-200s, two Boeing 767-300ERs, three Avro RJ85s, four Ilyushin Il-114s, two Ilyushin Il-62s, six Ilyushin Il-62Ms, ten Ilyushin Il-76Ts, nine Ilyushin Il-86s, 15 Tupolev Tu-154Bs, two Tupolev Tu-154Ms and 19 Yakovlev Yak-40s. Destinations served at the time included Almaty, Amsterdam, Andizhan, Ashgabat, Athens, Baku, Bangkok, Beijing, Bishkek, Bukhara, Chelyabinsk, Delhi, Dhaka, Ekaterinburg, Fergana, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Jeddah, Karshi, Kazan, Khabarovsk, Kuala Lumpur, London, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow, Namangan, New York, Novosibirsk, Nukus, Omsk, Paris, Riyadh, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Samarkand, Seoul, Sharjah, Simferopol, St. Petersburg, Tashkent, Tel Aviv, Termez, Tyumen, Ufa and Urgench.

Two more Boeing 767-300ERs, equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 powerplants, were ordered in 2001 and scheduled for delivery in 2002.

Uzbekistan Airways carried 2.625 million passengers in 2014, a 1.9% decrease year-on-year (YOY), whereas 4.6% more cargo was handled YOY.

Destinations

Since its formation, Uzbekistan Airways has focused its passenger service on Western Europe and other international locations. Most international flights operate from Tashkent, although international services to other Uzbek cities exist. The carrier is not part of any partnership or airline alliance.

Codeshare agreements

Uzbekistan Airways has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

* airBaltic
* Belavia
* Korean Air
* Malaysia Airlines
* S7 Airlines
* Turkish Airlines
* Ural Airlines

Interline agreements

Uzbekistan Airways has interline agreements with the following airlines:

* AccesRail (Railway)
* Aeroflot
* Air Astana
* airBaltic
* Air Europa
* Air France
* All Nippon Airways
* APG Airlines
* Arkia
* Asiana Airlines
* Azerbaijan Airlines
* Bangkok Airways
* Belavia
* China Southern Airlines
* Czech Airlines
* Delta Air Lines
* Etihad Airways
* Flynas
* Garuda Indonesia
* Hahn Air
* Iberia
* Japan Airlines
* KLM
* Korean Air
* Lufthansa
* Malaysia Airlines
* Qantas
* Qatar Airways
* S7 Airlines
* Singapore Airlines
* SriLankan Airlines
* Thai Airways International
* Turkish Airlines
* Ukraine International Airlines
* Ural Airlines

Fleet

Current fleet

, the airline operates the following aircraft:

Fleet development

In mid-2007, the carrier ordered six Airbus A320s; by that time the fleet was 55 strong, comprising ten different aircraft models; the Russian-built Yakovlev Yak-40 was among them. Also that year, the airline ordered two Boeing 787-8s.

In late 2008, the company ordered four Boeing 767-300ERs in a  million deal, and the A320 order was boosted to ten aircraft. The airline took delivery of its first A320 in ; the type started operations servicing the Tashkent–Baku route. The first of four Boeing 767-300ERs ordered in 2008 was delivered in , coinciding with the carrier's 20th anniversary. Also in 2012, the airline retired the An-24 from active service. It was announced in that the Islamic Development Bank signed a deal for  million with the Government of Uzbekistan that will be partly ( million) used to finance the acquisition of two Boeing aircraft, yet the type involved was not disclosed. In , the Airbus A310 was retired from active service.

The airline decided to convert two of the oldest Boeing 767-300ERs into freighters. Conversion of the first aircraft was completed in . In late , the second converted aircraft arrived in Tashkent.

Uzbekistan Airways received its first Boeing 787-8 in late . The Business Class on the 787 features the first fully flat seats of the carrier.

Retired fleet

Uzbekistan Airways previously operated the following aircraft:

* Airbus A300-600F
* Airbus A310-300
* Antonov An-24B
* Antonov An-24RV
* Avro RJ85
* Ilyushin Il-62
* Ilyushin Il-62M
* Ilyushin Il-76T
* Ilyushin Il-86
* Ilyushin Il-114-100
* Tupolev Tu-154B
* Tupolev Tu-154M
* Yakovlev Yak-40

Accidents and incidents

According to the ''Aviation Safety Network'', the airline experienced eight accidents and incidents throughout its history, totalling 54 reported fatalities; only those involving fatalities and hull-losses are listed below.

See also

* List of airlines of Uzbekistan
* Transport in Uzbekistan

References

External links

*

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Airlines of Uzbekistan
Airlines established in 1992
Former Aeroflot divisions
Government-owned airlines
1992 establishments in Uzbekistan