“Uzbekistan Airways” to increase Tashkent–Islamabad flights operation to three weekly flights

By: Shams Abbasi

ISLAMABAD, Oct 20 (APP):Uzbekistan Airways, the national airline of Uzbekistan, will increase the frequency of its flights between Tashkent and Islamabad from twice to three times a week from October 26, aiming to strengthen air connectivity and boost tourism, trade and cultural ties between Uzbekistan and Pakistan.

Currently, the airline operates flights on the Tashkent–Islamabad–Tashkent route twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Under the revised schedule, flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The additional service is expected to provide greater convenience for tourists, business travellers and transit passengers, offering more flexibility in travel planning and creating new opportunities for closer bilateral cooperation.

The enhanced air connectivity is also expected to encourage more Pakistani tourists to visit Uzbekistan, promote pilgrimage tourism and showcase the country’s rich historical and cultural heritage.

Improved flight connections will facilitate travel to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, three of Uzbekistan’s prominent historic cities associated with the ancient Great Silk Road. The increased frequency will also strengthen Tashkent’s role as a regional transport hub, providing travellers with more opportunities to explore other Central Asian destinations.

Tourism exchanges between the two countries have shown considerable potential for growth. More than 20,000 Pakistani tourists visited Uzbekistan in 2025, while nearly 20,000 visited during the first nine months of the current year.

The rising number of visitors highlights growing interest in Uzbekistan as a tourism destination and underscores opportunities for further expanding people-to-people contacts and tourism cooperation between the two countries.

Currently, eight scheduled flights operate between Uzbekistan and Pakistan each week. These include four flights on the Tashkent–Lahore route and two on the Tashkent–Islamabad route, alongside services connecting Tashkent with Karachi.

With the introduction of the additional Islamabad service, the total number of scheduled weekly flights between the two countries will rise to nine.

The increased flight frequency is expected to further strengthen bilateral transport links, facilitate two-way tourism, support business travel and contribute to broader trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan.