Uzbekistan Airways

HISTORY

Uzbekistan Airways (HY) was created in 1992 following the dissolution of USSR and as a response to the need of the country to re-build its transport infrastructure. On top of that, the creation of Uzbekistan Airways has been also a way to place Uzbekistan once again as the “door” between East and West, thanks to the fortunate geographical position of the country.

The first HY flights take place in 1993, with a fleet inherited from Aeroflot. Following the development of numerous international routes though, the fleet has been quickly upgraded. Nowadays, all international routes are operated with western-made aircrafts, namely Airbus and Boeing.

Uzbekistan Airways serves around 50 domestic and international destinations from its main hub, Tashkent. The company owns 11 airports, 5 of which have international airport status.

As of January 2014, Uzbekistan Airways operate the following international routes: Baku, Dhaka, Beijing, Ürümqi, Paris, Frankfurt, Amritsar, Delhi, Tel Aviv, Milan, Rome, Tokyo, Almaty, Astana, Bishkek, Riga, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul, Madrid, Geneva, Bangkok, Istanbul, Kiev, Simferopol, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, London, New York City.

Uzbekistan Airways serves the following domestic destinations: Andijan, Bukhara, Fergana, Karshi, Namangan, Navoi, Nukus, Samarkand, Tashkent, Termez, Urgench Zarafshan.

Uzbekistan Airways also serves various destinations within the Russian Federation and all CIS countries capitals.

 

THE FLEET 
Uzbekistan Airways fleet is as follows:

• 10 Airbus A320-200
• 6 Boeing 757-200
• 9 Boeing 767-300
• 3 Avro RJ85
• 7 Ilyushin Il-114-100

The company recently ordered two Boeing 787-8s.

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Useful info 

- Capital: Tashkent 
- Member of CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) 
- Religion: muslim (mainly Sunni confession). Orthodox, Jewish and Roman catholic minorities. 
- Population: 26 mln 
- Passport: for Italian citizens, passport needs to be valid at least six months. 
- Visa: a tourist visa (valid for one month stay) is needed. Obtainable from the Uzbek Consulate in Rome 
- Currency: 1 EURO = 1550 SOUM. Euro, US dollars and all major currencies can be easily exchanged at all banks and exchange offices. Traveller cheques and credit cards are accepted only in main cities.
- Climate: dry, warm continental in summer (25/38 C°), dry, cold in winter (-5/+5 C°) 
- Customs: on arrival a customs declaration needs to be filled out and kept until the day of departure. 
- Health: no particular vaccinations required. It is advisable to use disinfectant pills in case water is not bottled or boiled.
- Accommodation: 5 and 4 stars hotels in the 3 main cities Tashkent, Samarcanda, Bukhara. Family-run hotels and B&B accommodation are available all over the country. 
- Airline: Uzbekistan Airways fly direct twice a week from Rome and Milan.
- Time: add 3hrs to Italian time.
- Best travel period: from March through June and in September and October.