October 2026 showed how fast the map of regional aviation is changing. And almost every piece of news left the same question: who will build it, what will fly it, and how will it pay off.
On 17 November the tenth Central Asia Aviation Summit (CAAS #10): Uzbekistan takes place at the Azimut Grand Hotel in Tashkent. The organisers are mark comm and ato comm. Earlier summits were held in Tashkent and Astana.
What happened in the region over the last two weeks
- Kazakhstan. According to media reports of the 28 October Address, construction of Astana's new airport is due to begin in 2027. The partner, budget and site have not been named. On 20 October a deputy transport minister said a feasibility study and design-estimate documentation were being prepared.
- Uzbekistan. Larsen & Toubro received a limited notice to proceed for the terminal of the new Tashkent airport, planned for about 17 million passengers a year. Pegasus announced flights to Bukhara from 14 December, Andijan from 18 December and Termez from 1 March 2027.
- Kyrgyzstan. The head of the civil aviation agency reported talks on ten Airbus aircraft and two A321s expected by the end of 2027. Bishkek and Doha discussed direct air service again.
- Turkmenistan. Pakistan's ambassador said the countries plan to resume cargo and commercial air service. Turkmenistan Airlines' winter schedule changes frequencies on international routes.
- Tajikistan. A foundation stone was laid for a local airfield in Khovaling district.
- New flights. Air Astana operated its first flights to Salalah and FlyArystan opened Astana–Yining. Air Astana is preparing to take three Boeing 787-9s in 2027.
This is not a summary but a set of questions for the industry: where to finish building, what to fly, how to fill it and how to maintain it all.
Five questions the agenda is built around
The organisers announce these topics: liberalisation of air transport and regional growth, transit passengers, cargo and e-commerce, new airlines and network building, airport modernisation and construction, trends in the Eurasian market, and regional cooperation. Reduced to practical questions, there are five.
- Where will the hub be, and how do you keep transit? The BCG consultants whose interview we covered on 24 October say a hub's advantage should not depend on cheap fuel, citing Istanbul as a transit model.
- Where will the aircraft come from, and who will finance them? For lessors, banks and manufacturers this is the region's main question.
- Who will build and maintain? New airports, terminals, MRO and cargo infrastructure need designers, contractors and investors.
- How can domestic flights become more affordable? By BCG's estimate, a ticket in Uzbekistan costs about 25 days of an average wage, against about 4 in Kazakhstan.
- Which routes and carriers will pay off? The organisers cite more than 40 airlines in the region and more than 10 new carriers since 2020.
Who you can hear
The list has 18 speakers. They include Jamoliddin Nazarov (Head of the Air Transport Department, Uzbekistan's Ministry of Transport), Zhasur Pulatov (Director, Tashkent International Airport), Catalin Radu (Executive Director, EACAC), Stefano Meneto (economist, IATA), Jason Sutcliffe (Marketing Director, Rolls-Royce), Eamonn Forbes (Chief Commercial Officer, Titan Aviation Leasing), Dilya Ashirmetova (Deputy Director General, Aero Nomad Airlines), Abul Kekilbaev (CEO, Petropavlovsk Airport) and Javid K S Jaffer (Emirates). The final list and agenda should be checked on the organisers' site.
Who the event is for
The organisers name senior managers of airlines and airports from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldova and neighbouring countries, as well as leasing companies, financial institutions, manufacturers, MRO companies, lawyers, consultants and media. They cite more than 300 participants.
What delegates get
According to the organisers: the full programme, a meeting service for negotiations, coffee breaks, lunch and an evening reception. Separate terms are set for airlines and airports.
How to prepare in advance
- Set three goals: whom you want to meet and which question to ask.
- Request meetings through the organisers' service before the schedule fills up.
- Prepare one concrete question on your market: a route, an aircraft, an airport or a supply.
Our assessment: the region is moving from announcements to decisions, and that is exactly why Tashkent on 17 November is worth attending.
Look at October. Construction of Astana's new airport, according to media reports, is due to start in 2027. The contractor for the new Tashkent airport terminal has received a notice to start preparatory work. Pegasus named dates for flights to three Uzbek cities. Kyrgyzstan is discussing ten Airbus aircraft. So far these are promises, plans and first steps. But the next stage for each is procurement, contracts, partners and schedules. And those are usually shaped not in press releases but in conversations between the people who take the decisions.
Those people do not often end up in the same room. The regional market is fragmented: five countries, different regulators, different airports, different carriers. A summit that brings together airlines, airports, regulators, lessors, manufacturers and consultants offers the chance to compare the plans of different sides in one day and agree the next step.
What this means by group.
- Suppliers, MRO companies and designers: while projects are at the preparation stage, it is easier to meet the customer than after a tender is announced.
- Lessors and banks: demand for aircraft in the region is being discussed openly, while most projects have not named a financing source.
- Airlines and airports: a chance, before schedules are published, to learn who is ready to open new routes and to prepare proposals on frequencies and infrastructure.
- Tour operators and agencies: destinations and airports that will appear in schedules in a few months are being discussed now.
If you work in the regional market, one day in Tashkent is worth it so as not to miss a conversation that will take place without you. Arrive with a specific agenda: three meetings you want to hold and one question you need answered. This is flycentralasia's conclusion, not the organisers' assessment.
Details and registration are on the organisers' site: uz.atocomm.eu.