Uzbekistan Air Traffic Shifts: Russia Down, Turkey & Egypt Gain
Uzbekistan’s International Air Travel Trends Shift in 2025: Russia Sees Decline, Turkey and Egypt Gain Ground
Uzbekistan’s international air travel patterns shifted noticeably in 2025, with passenger traffic to Russia declining while routes to Turkey and Egypt recorded strong growth, according to Uzbekistan Airports data.
The Tashkent–Moscow route remained the busiest international connection with 1.174 million passengers, despite a 14% year-on-year decrease. Similarly, traffic on the Tashkent–Saint Petersburg route fell by 4%. In contrast, demand for Turkey-bound flights increased, with the Tashkent–Istanbul route ranking second overall and growing by 3% to nearly 984,000 passengers.
One of the most significant developments was the sharp rise in travel to Egypt. Passenger numbers on the Tashkent–Sharm El Sheikh route surged by 48%, exceeding 210,000 travelers and placing the route among Uzbekistan’s top ten international destinations.
Other international routes such as Dubai, Almaty, Jeddah, and Seoul maintained stable growth, with Dubai and Almaty seeing double-digit increases. Meanwhile, the Samarkand–Moscow route recorded an 8% rise, offsetting part of the decline seen from Tashkent.
Domestically, the Tashkent–Urgench route led air travel with an 18% increase in passengers, while Tashkent–Nukus saw a decline. Overall, the data highlights a gradual diversification of Uzbekistan’s air travel demand away from Russia toward leisure and hub destinations.
