Uzbekistan is planning to convert Tashkent-Vostochny Airport, which now serves military and cargo aviation and experimental flight-test activities, into a business aviation airport. The airfield, currently under the jurisdiction of Uzbekistan’s defense ministry, is located in Tashkent, about four miles from Islam Karimov Tashkent International. Its military transport aviation unit based at Tashkent-Vostochny would transfer to a different base.
The initiative to build the airport came from national carrier Uzbekistan Airways, and the project was approved by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Cost is estimated at $140 million, and funding was provided by foreign loans backed by the Uzbekistan government. Uzbekistan Airways paid for some of the preliminary studies that launched the project.
Officials expect the refurbished airport to begin service in 2020. One terminal building will serve government officials and foreign delegations, and another will be for business travelers flying in general aviation aircraft. The existing 10,600-foot runway is being replaced with a new longer and wider runway.
The first stage of construction is scheduled for completion by 2020. Under a second stage, additional buildings and facilities are planned, including an aircraft maintenance center, a fire-safety depot, a dispatch center, and hotel complex. A helicopter hangar is also under construction.
Mirziyoyev is encouraging business aircraft travel to central Asia and development of business aviation in Uzbekistan. “To build a business airport convenient for foreign entrepreneurs, it is necessary to have modern design facilities and attract qualified specialists from Japan, Germany, and other developed countries,” he said.