From 27 August 2026, Russia's Nordwind Airlines will begin direct scheduled flights on the Samarkand–Kazan–Samarkand route, Samarkand International Airport announced.
Flights will operate once a week, on Thursdays. Departure from Samarkand is scheduled for 05:55, arriving in Kazan at 07:20 local time. Tickets are available on Nordwind Airlines' official website and at Samarkand International Airport's ticket office, which operates 24/7.
The key feature of the launch is that Uzbekistan Airways already operates direct Samarkand–Kazan service, on Mondays. Nordwind's entry therefore adds a second frequency and fresh capacity on a single route, which typically favors pricing and passenger choice.
Tatarstan is a meaningful market for Uzbekistan across both visiting-friends-and-relatives travel and tourism. Russian carriers are increasingly linking regional Russian cities directly with Uzbek cities, bypassing Moscow — reflecting a structural shift in how the two markets connect. For Samarkand International Airport, a growing number of carriers strengthens its positioning as an international hub.