The two companies will take on the project as private partners under a 23-year public-private partnership agreement, which is expected to be signed shortly. Construction is scheduled to take up to three years.
The private partners will be responsible for the passenger terminal, designed to handle 1,200 passengers an hour, as well as the airport forecourt, parking facilities and associated infrastructure. The state will oversee the construction and operation of the airfield, including the runway and aircraft apron.
Both companies bring experience in large-scale infrastructure projects. Limak operates the international airports in Pristina, Kosovo, and Dakar, Senegal, and took part in building Istanbul Airport. It is also working on the construction of Kuwait International Airport. Hamad Bin Khalid Contracting was the main contractor for Lusail Stadium, one of the principal venues of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Uzbekistan Airports said it expected the partnership to deliver modern airport facilities, improve the passenger experience and help attract more international visitors to Bukhara.
The tender was launched on March 12 under a build-transfer-operate (BTO) model. Six international companies passed the initial qualification stage and were invited to the next stage of the selection process.
The new airport is intended to replace the existing facility's limitations and give Bukhara greater capacity to accommodate international traffic. The project was first presented in May 2024, when its estimated cost stood at $226 million.
The plans include a 3.3-kilometer runway capable of handling aircraft of all types and a terminal with capacity for 1,200 passengers an hour. A new road connecting the airport site to Bukhara is also being built. The 23.8-kilometer route includes a 2.7-kilometer section of newly constructed road.
Some 370 hectares outside the city have been allocated for the airport and related infrastructure.
The estimated cost has since risen to $300 million. At a meeting on the development of Bukhara region in early November, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed officials to complete the airport complex by September 2027.
He also called for direct flights from Bukhara to Malaysia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Egypt, signaling ambitions to turn the new facility into a gateway for more international travel to the region.
