Etihad Airways to launch daily Abu Dhabi–Tashkent flights from August 10

The airline plans to operate the route every day using Airbus A320 aircraft.

Uzbekistan Airports described the launch as an important step for the country's international air connectivity, noting that Etihad Airways is one of the Middle East's largest airlines with an extensive global route network.

The new service will provide passengers from Uzbekistan with access to Etihad's international hub in Abu Dhabi, offering onward connections to destinations across the Gulf region, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and North America.

Etihad Airways first announced plans to expand its network to include Tashkent in July 2025. At the time, the airline said it expected to launch the route in March 2026 with six weekly flights.

The carrier received authorization to operate scheduled services to Uzbekistan in October 2025. Initial plans envisaged flights on the Abu Dhabi–Tashkent–Abu Dhabi route using Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft.

In March, Uzbekistan's Deputy Minister of Transport Jasurbek Choriyev and Etihad Airways Chief Operating Officer Majed Al Marzouqi discussed preparations for the launch of scheduled services.

According to Uzbekistan's Ministry of Transport, the two sides had been targeting August 17 as the launch date. Etihad Airways and Uzbekistan Airways were also negotiating interline and codeshare agreements to strengthen connectivity between their networks.