Sariosiyo Airport reopens after 30 years, welcomes first flight

On May 30, Sariosiyo Airport in Surkhandarya region welcomed its first commercial flight in three decades, marking a major milestone in the region’s air transport revival. Operated by Silk Avia, the aircraft arrived from Tashkent with 48 passengers on board and landed at 15:41 local time.

Photo: Uzbekistan Airports

According to Uzbekistan Airports, Silk Avia will operate regular flights between Tashkent and Sariosiyo twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, using ATR-72-600 aircraft.

The airport has undergone extensive renovation, including a full overhaul of the aerodrome's artificial surfaces – namely the runway, taxiways, and aircraft parking stands. Following these upgrades, Sariosiyo Airport hosted its first technical flight on April 29.

Within a month, construction was completed on a new terminal with an area of 1,100 square meters, capable of serving up to 100 passengers per hour.

Sariosiyo Airport was closed to civil aviation in 1995. Now, after 30 years, it has officially resumed passenger operations. It has become the fifth regional airport in Uzbekistan to be restored in recent years, following the reconstruction and reopening of airports in Muynak, Kokand, Shakhrisabz, and Zomin.