flydubai airliner has landed at the international Samarkand airport. He was greeted with the traditional salute from water cannons. The delegation, led by flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith, was welcomed by Air Marakanda CEO Gairat Nematov (the company that operates the SKD airport) and other senior local officials.
Flights will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays from International Dubai Airport (DXB) to Samarkand International Airport. The new route is designed to promote the rapid development of the tourism industry of Samarkand and trade between Uzbekistan and the countries of the Persian Gulf. starts at $490 in economy class. “Business” will cost at least $2,180.
The flydubai program to another Uzbek city — Namangan — will start on September 24th. Thus, ten flights a week will fly between the UAE and Uzbekistan. The same carrier serves the Tashkent Islam Karimov International Airport.
According to the $80 million Samarkand air hub reconstruction and expansion project, the new airport will serve the region's population of 3.9 million people and act as a hub for international transit flights.
An independent study by marketing firm Lufthansa Consulting predicts an increase in annual SKD passenger traffic from 480,000 to two million.