Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The aviation authorities of Uzbekistan and Indonesia have signed a new agreement aimed at strengthening cooperation in civil aviation and pilgrimage tourism.

The accord was concluded as part of the implementation of Goal 53 of the “Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy, approved by Presidential Decree on 11 September 2023, which envisions a fourfold increase in air transport volumes by 2030.

A delegation from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport held its latest round of talks in Jakarta. The Indonesian side was briefed on Uzbekistan’s wide-ranging reforms in the fields of pilgrimage tourism and civil aviation, as well as on the prospects for developing the “Umrah Plus” program.

Following the negotiations, the parties agreed to lift restrictions on the number of airlines, which had previously been set by the bilateral air services agreement.

New destinations were also designated for Uzbek carriers in addition to Jakarta: Denpasar, Surabaya, Medan, Yogyakarta, Majalengka, Banda Aceh, Tanjung Pandan, and Lombok.

The sides further agreed to increase flight frequencies for airlines of each country to 28 per week — 56 in both directions. In addition, Indonesian airlines were granted the right to operate flights to all international airports in Uzbekistan.