Sariasiya Airport resumes operations after 3 decades

On May 30, Sariasiya Airport, located in the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan, officially resumed operations after a 30-year hiatus. The announcement was made by Uzbekistan Airports.

The airport welcomed its first commercial flight since closure—a plane arriving from Tashkent carrying 48 passengers—which landed at 15:41 local time. Upholding aviation traditions, the aircraft was greeted with a ceremonial water salute, while passengers were welcomed with celebratory trumpet and horn music.

Extensive renovations were undertaken at the airport, including the resurfacing of the runway, taxiway, and aircraft parking stands. Following the completion of these upgrades, the airport conducted a technical test flight on April 29.

Within the span of a month, a brand-new passenger terminal covering 1,100 square meters was constructed. The facility is now equipped to serve up to 100 passengers per hour. With these developments, Sariasiya Airport officially launched regular flight operations and welcomed its first group of passengers today.

Sariasiya Airport, which had ceased civil aviation services in 1995, now becomes the fifth regional airport in Uzbekistan to be reopened in recent years. Previously, airports in Muynak, Kokand, Shakhrisabz, and Zomin had undergone reconstruction and resumed operations.

It is also worth noting that the first phase of the runway reconstruction at Andijan International Airport has recently been completed, and Uzbekistan Airways has successfully conducted its first technical flight on the Tashkent–Andijan route.