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| Founded | 28 January 1992 | |||
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| Commenced operations | 31 May 1992 | |||
| Hubs | ||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Uz Air Plus | |||
| Fleet size | 65 (+6 orders) | |||
| Destinations | 58 | |||
| Company slogan | National airline of Uzbekistan | |||
| Parent company | Government of Uzbekistan | |||
| Headquarters | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | |||
| Key people | ||||
| Website | www.uzairways.com | |||
OJSC “Uzbekistan Airways”, operating as National Air Company Uzbekistan Airways (styled as Uzbekistan Airways) (Uzbek: O‛zbekiston havo yo‛llari (Latin Uzbek), Ўзбекистон Ҳаво Йўллари (Cyrilic Uzbek); Russian: Узбекские Авиалинии) is the national airline of Uzbekistan, headquartered in Tashkent.[2] From its hub in Tashkent Airport, the airline serves a number of domestic destinations; the company also flies international services to Asia, Europe and North America.
As of October 2011[update], Uzbekistan Airways is ranked as a two-star airline by the United Kingdom-based consultancy Skytrax, out of a 5-star ranking.[3]
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The carrier was established from the Uzbekistan division of Aeroflot on 28 January 1992.[4] Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Uzbek President Islam Karimov in 1992 authorised the creation of Uzbekistan Airways. Operations were taken over from Aeroflot's Uzbekistan division on 31 May 1992.[5] The airline's maiden flight was from Tashkent to London.
Domestic flights were launched using aircraft that formerly belonged to Aeroflot. When international routes became top priority, Airbus planes were leased, starting in 1993. The international fleet now uses a mixture of Boeing and Airbus airplanes.
Uzbekistan Airways serves almost 50 destinations worldwide and at home, from Tashkent International Airport. The airline owns 11 airports, five of which have international status. Uzbekistan Airways is not part of any partnerships or alliances, but is in talks to join SkyTeam.
Uzbekistan Airways Technics provides technical services for Il-76, Il-62, An-2 and Yak-42 aircraft, and aircraft engines Аn-25, Тa-6А and Тa-8, also A, B, C, D and IL checks on the Boeing 767, Boeing 757, Airbus 310, Airbus 320, and RJ-85.
According to reports from boarding.no and the Uzbek government, Uzbekistan Airways is in negotiations with SkyTeam to join the alliance; however, no official announcement has been made so far by either the airline or the alliance.[6][7] Uzbekistan Airways' candidacy is being sponsored by Korean Air.
Since its formation, Uzbekistan Airways has mainly aimed its passenger service at Western Europe and other international locations. Most flights to international locations operate from Tashkent, although regional international services do exist.
Uzbekistan Airways has code share agreements with the following airlines:
Uzbekistan Airways current fleet
Both the Boeing 757-200 and the Boeing 767-300ER entered the fleet in late 1996; the airline took delivery of these aircraft as part of an order placed in October 1995.[8] Still in operation, both types are powered with Pratt & Whitney engines.[8]
Uzbekistan Airways was the launch customer for the Ilyushin Il-114; it took delivery of the first, locally-assembled aircraft, in July 1998.[9][10] As of October 2011[update], it is the sole worldwide operator of the type.
In mid-2007, the carrier ordered six Airbus A320s; by that time the fleet was 55 strong, comprising 10 different aircraft models; the Russian-built Yak-40 was among them.[11] Two Boeing 787-8s, worth US$70 million, were ordered in October the same year.[12]
In late 2008, the company ordered 4 Boeing 767-300ERs in a US$597 million deal,[13][14] and the A320 order was boosted to 10 aircraft.[15][16]
The airline took delivery of its first A320 in July 2010; the type started operations servicing the Tashkent–Baku route.[17]
As of January 2012[update], the airline operates the following equipment, with an average age of 14.7 years.[5]
| Passenger | ||||||||
| Aircraft | In fleet | Orders | Options | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | C | Y | Total | |||||
| Airbus A310-300 | 3 | — | — | 12 | 30 | 150 | 194 | One aircraft stored |
| Airbus A320-200 | 10 | — | — | — | 12 | 138 | 150[17] | One aircraft stored |
| Antonov An-24B | 8 | — | — | Unknown | Two aircraft stored | |||
| Antonov An-24RV | 1 | — | — | Unknown | ||||
| Avro RJ85 | 3 | — | — | Unknown | One aircraft stored | |||
| Boeing 757-200 | 6 | — | — | — | 28 | 156 | 184 | |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 5 | 4[13] | — | 5 | 40 | 157 | 207 | |
| — | 18 | 246 | 264 | |||||
| Boeing 787-8 | — | 2[8] | — | TBA | ||||
| Ilyushin Il-114-100 | 6 | — | — | Unknown | 54 | Sole operator worldwide | ||
| Yakovlev Yak-40 | 11 | — | — | Unknown | Five aircraft stored | |||
| Cargo | ||||||||
| Airbus A300-600F | 2 | — | — | N/A | ||||
| Ilyushin Il-76TD | 10 | — | — | Five aircraft stored | ||||
| Total | 65 | 6 | — | |||||
Uzbekistan Airways also operated the following aircraft all through its history:[5]
According to Aviation Safety Network, the airline experienced 8 accident/incident events throughout its history, totalling 54 reported fatalities;[18] only those involving fatalities and hull-losses are listed below.
| Date | Location | Aircraft | Tail number | Fate | Fatalities | Description of the event | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 June 1995 | Nukus | An-2R | UK-33058 | W/O | Unknown | Crashed 43 km (27 mi) away from the city under undisclosed circumstances. | [19] |
| 26 August 1999 | Turtkul | Yak-40 | UK-87848 | W/O | 2/33 | The aircraft was operating a domestic scheduled Tashkent–Turtkul passenger service when struck power lines, gear-up, after a second go-around at Turtkul Airport. It belly landed, and slid for some 130 m (430 ft), before coming to rest close to an embankment. | [20][21] |
| 13 January 2004 | Tashkent Airport | Yak-40 | UK-87985 | W/O | 37/37 | The airplane was completing a domestic scheduled Termez–Tashkent passenger service as Flight 1154 when it landed more than 250 m (820 ft) past the runway threshold at Tashkent Airport. The aircraft continued its run, the right wing struck a concrete building, moments later the left wing was lost, and hit a concrete wall that caused the airframe to break up, eventually coming to rest into a ditch and catching fire. | [21][22] |
| 19 October 2006 | Aranchi | An-2TP | UK-70152 | W/O | 15/15 | Crashed amid bad weather, on approach to the Aranchi airfield, while operating a military training flight. | [23] |
| August 2009 | Zarafshan Airport | An-24RV | UK-46658 | W/O | 0 | Premature retraction of the undercarriage during the take-off run. | [24] |
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