Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The Chairman of the Board of Uzbekistan Airports spoke at the First Tashkent International Investment Forum and revealed some details of the Silk Avia regional airline being created.

During the panel discussion “Horizons for Attracting Investments in the Tourism Sector”, Rano Juraeva, speaking about the development of domestic tourism, recalled that since last year, the creation of a regional airline Silk Avia has begun, which will satisfy the demand for air travel within the country. According to preliminary data, it is planned to launch about 40 routes across Uzbekistan - not only from the capital to the regions, but also between regions.

“There are no regional transportations here and they need to be developed. We just want to open about 40 routes now. In particular, this will affect the development of domestic tourism. I noticed that even to tourist points such as Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, people are forced to travel by train, bus or taxi, because either there are no tickets or it is expensive. I looked at the statistics on domestic routes - in 2021 we served about a million passengers. Of course, the demand is huge. People have difficulty moving around the country. Therefore, we are in a hurry and hope that by the fall we will have already delivered the planes and made the first flights,” said Rano Juraeva.

The chairman of the board of the management company also noted that at the first stage, three regional aircraft with 70 seats are expected to arrive. In her opinion, aircraft with such a capacity are optimal for regional air transportation. Rano Juraeva also added that the regional airline will be based at the new Samarkand airport.