Tajikistan's lower house of parliament, the Majlisi Namoyandagon, on 1 October 2026 ratified the air services agreement with the United Arab Emirates. The document was signed in Dushanbe on 17 July 2025. An additional vote in the upper house, the Majlisi Milli, is not required. According to the Khovar news agency, the agreement is expected to increase the number of flights between the two countries and help Tajikistan become a transit country.
According to Tajik media reports, the sides are also discussing Etihad Airways flights on the Dushanbe-Abu Dhabi and Khujand-Abu Dhabi routes. After the talks the airline is expected to submit an application to Tajikistan's Civil Aviation Agency, after which the sides will agree on frequencies. No launch dates have been set, and Etihad Airways itself has not announced flights to Tajikistan.
Our assessment: ratification removes a formal obstacle to expanding air links between the two countries, but the arrival of a new carrier depends on the airline's own decision and on frequency approvals. For the airports of Dushanbe and Khujand and for tour operators, it is a possible signal that another major Gulf carrier may arrive. This is flycentralasia's conclusion, not a statement by the airline or the authorities.