Official
Use Only
Uzbekistan
Ex-Post Monitoring of Completed ODA Loan Project“Three Local Airports Modernization Project (1) (2)”External Evaluator: Naomi Murayama(OPMAC Corporation)
Field Survey: June – July, 20091.

Project Description

Map of the project area

Urgench Airport radar tower

1.1 Project Objective
The objective of this project is to improve the functions of the international airports and topromote the development of the nation’s tourist industry as well as to increase safety by thedevelopment and modernization of airports at Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench, all of which
are located in significant areas of Uzbekistan, thereby contributing to the acquisition of foreign
currency and the economic development of Uzbekistan.
1.2 Outline of the Loan Agreement
Phase I

Phase II

Approved Amount /15,526 million yen /2,871 million yen /Disbursed Amount

15,036 million yen

2,786 million yen

Loan Agreement /December 1996 /December 1999 /Final Disbursement Date

December 2001

January 2003

Ex-post Evaluation

FY 2003

FY 2003

Executing Agency

Uzbekistan Airways

Uzbekistan Airways

Main Contractor

ALARKO (Turkey)･JOHN

ALENIA MARCONILAING INT'L LTD (UK)・

SYSTEMS S.P.A. (Italy)

Marubeni Co. (Japan) (JV),
Mitsui & Co., LTD. (Japan)・

1

Mitsubishi Co. (Japan)・Shimizu
Co. (Japan) (JV)
Main Consultant

Japan Airport Consultants, Inc.

Japan Airport Consultants, Inc.

(Japan)(Japan)1.3 Background of Ex-post Monitoring
At the time of the ex-post evaluation, some concerns about effectiveness were pointed out
as the number of arrivals and departures had declined since 1998/1999. There were also someconcerns about the financial aspect of sustainability since all three airports had overspent every
year between 1995 and 2002, the excess being covered by payouts from the budget of
Uzbekistan Airways. Moreover, it was recommended that measures necessary to ensure theproject objective of tourism development through airport modernization be considered, such asa review of the number and timetable of international flights.
Therefore, this project was selected for ex-post monitoring and was reviewed through eachcriterion together with the findings of the field survey and other research activities, leading inturn to the conclusion below.

2.

Monitoring Results

2.1 Effectiveness (Impact)
After ex-post evaluation, the number of passengers arriving and departing dramaticallyincreased at Samarkand Airport and Bukhara Airport due to the growing number of international
flights used especially by local residents. The number of chartered flights from European
countries has increased at Urgench Airport. All three airports have played an important role asinternational airports.
2.1.1 Quantitative Effects (Current Facilities Operating Conditions and Effectiveness)(1) Improvement in airport safety
Airport safety complied with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization,
hereafter ICAO, and this has been maintained since the ex-post evaluation. According toUzbekistan Airways, there have been no accidents at any of the three airports since 2000 when
the Project was completed 1 .
The number of canceled and delayed flights at the three airports is as shown in Table 1 andTable 2 respectively. According to Uzbekistan Airways, reasons for cancellation and delay havemainly been owing to bad weather. Sometimes flights are cancelled when there are not enough1

However, according to data from the flight safety foundation, Aviation Safety Network, one accident was reported:that a takeoff was aborted because of power loss on a no. 1 engine where the plane could not be stopped on theremaining runway. The Yak overran 3000 meters 13/31. The right main landing gear leg collapsed.
(http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20030409-1 as of Sep. 8, 2009)2

passengers. No delay or cancellation was caused by accidents at the three airports and they are
considered to be suitably secure.
Table 1: Number of canceled flights at the three airports
Unit: flight

Airport

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Samarkand

―

―

―

―

―

―

Bukhara

3

20

3

41

6

11

Urgench

―

―

―

45

46

13

Source: Uzbekistan Airways

Table 2: Number of delayed flight at the three airports
Unit: flight

Airport

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Samarkand

―

78

107

121

153

215

Bukhara

72

101

79

101

79

115

Urgench

―

―

―

73

83

131

Source: Uzbekistan Airways(2) Increase in flight numbers resulting from compliance with ICAO standards
The number of domestic flights is shown in Figure 1. At Samarkand Airport and Urgench
Airport, the number of domestic flights has not changed substantially, although there have been
fluctuations since 2003 when the ex-post evaluation survey was conducted. The number ofdomestic flights at Bukhara Airport peaked in 2004, but was down by half in 2005. Since then it
has been on a declining trend. Uzbekistan Airways explains this as follows: recently flights
between Tashkent and cities in the Commonwealth Independent States, hereafter CIS, havebegun operating via Samarkand or Bukhara with large aircraft introduced on these routes,
enabling the journey to be made in one flight. Therefore Uzbekistan Airways has decreased thenumber of flights between Tashkent and Samarkand or Bukhara aiming to reduce costs.
The number of international flights hovered at a low level between 2004 and 2005, affectedby deterioration in the regional situation. Since 2005, however, the number has dramaticallyincreased especially at Samarkand Airport and Bukhara Airport (Figure 2). This trend is
pronounced among flights to CIS countries, particularly to major cities in Russia. The results ofinterviews with Uzbekistan Airways staff and the beneficiary survey conducted during thismonitoring survey show that most users of international flights from Samarkand Airport or
Bukhara Airport are local residents who aim either to work or to visit relatives in Russia. It canbe seen, therefore, that the growing need for flights to major cities in Russia by local residents
led to this increase in the number of international flights.

3

Unit: flight

1,500
1,200
900
600
300
0

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Samarkand

768

816

816

720

816

490

470

423

458

462

509

Bukhara1,044 1,104 1,272 1,140852

1,043 1,409

708

706

681

564

Urgench

1,008

864

1,119 1,225 1,227 1,137 1,098 1,079

960

1,056 1,056

Source: Uzbekistan Airways

Figure 1: Number of domestic flights at the three airports

Unit: flight

800
600
400
200
0

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Samarkand

144

144

240

228

240

250

147

384

489

637

747

Bukhara

84

144

132

168

180

147

146

146

326

450

470

Urgench

48

48

72

96

96

147

142

114

145

174

220

Source: Uzbekistan Airways

Figure 2: Number of international flights at the three airports

The number of regular international flights operated by Uzbekistan Airways and Russian
Airlines at the time of the ex-post monitoring survey is as shown in Table 3 and Table 4
respectively. Since 2005 various Russian airlines have begun to operate international flights
between each of the three airports and major cities in Russia. In addition, regular international
flights between Urgench and Paris, Rome and Milan are planed to go into service from 2010.

4

Table 3: International regular flights by Uzbekistan Airways (as of August 2009)
AirportSamarkand

RouteSamarkand-Simferopol (Ukraine)
Samarkand-Kazan (Russia)
Samarkand- Moscow (Russia)
Samarkand-St. Petersburg (Russia)
Bukhara-Moscow (Russia)
Bukhara-St. Petersburg (Russia)

BukharaYear of starting service
2006
2006
The Soviet era
The Soviet era
The Soviet era
The Soviet era

Source: Uzbekistan Airways

Table 4: International regular flights by Russian Airlines (as of August 2009)
AirportSamarkand

BukharaUrgenchAirlineRussiyaMoskoviya
Atlant Soyuz
OthersMoskoviya
Atlant Soyuz
Trans Aero
SIBIR Airlines(S7 Airlines)

RouteYear of starting service
Pulkov(St.Petersburg)-Samarkand
2005
Domodedovo (Moscow)-Samarkand
2006
Vnokovo(Moscow)-Samarkand
2007
Charter flights by Airlines UM and Air Inter
Domodedovo(Moscow)-Bukhara
2005
Vnukovo(Moscow)-Bukhara
2006
Domodedovo(Moscow)-Bukhara
2006
Domodedovo(Moscow)-Urgench
2007

Source: Uzbekistan Airways

Although the number of domestic flights has been decreasing, the number of passengers
arriving and departing at each of the three airports is stable (Figure 3 and Figure 4). It can besurmised from this that there have been improvements in transport efficiency through the use oflarger aircrafts. The number of international flights and passengers has dramatically increased(Figure 2, Figure 5 and Figure 6). It is thought that this is due to compliance with the ICAOStandard.
Unit: person
Samarkand

BukharaUnit: person

UrgenchSamarkand

80000
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0

BukharaUrgench

70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Source: Uzbekistan Airways

Source: Uzbekistan Airways

Figure 3: Number of domestic arrivals at thethree airports

Figure 4: Number of domestic departures at
the three airports 2

2

There is no record of numbers of departures at Bukhara Airport for 2004.

5

Unit: person
Samarkand

BukharaUnit: person

UrgenchSamarkand

BukharaUrgench100,000

90,00080,00070,00060,00050,00040,00030,00020,00010,000080,00060,00040,00020,000
0
2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2003

2008

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Source: Uzbekistan Airways

Source: Uzbekistan Airways

Figure 5: Number of international arrivals at
the three airports

Figure 6: Number of international departuresat the three airports 3

2.1.2 Qualitative Effects(1) Results of the beneficiary survey
The beneficiary survey was conducted with a sampling of 40 users and a total 120 samples,
between July and September 2009, at Samarkand Airport, Bukhara Airport and Urgench
Airport. 4

Unit: personsightseeing

9

Uzbekistan

2

Foreignerbusiness

21

immigrating for work

22

return home

1

7

0

10

visit relatives/friends

22

others

3

20
0

5

2

10

15

20

25

Source: Beneficiary Survey

Figure 7: Number of travelers using the airports and their purpose

3

There is no record of numbers of departures at Bukhara Airport for 2004.
Surveys were conducted in the departure lounge after check-in at each airport. The respondents were chosen by arandom sampling method. Surveyors interviewed respondents in person in accordance with a prepared questionnaire.

46

Unit: person

Times
1
2-3

4-6 1 2

3

5

more than 7

4

2
11

3
1 11

3

6

10

sightseeing

6

2

10

0

above：Uzbekistan
below：Foreigner

2 2

9

5

2
3

2

6

4

4
3
1 11 1business

10

10

20

30

immigrating for work

40

Home

Visit

others

Source: Beneficiary Survey

Figure 8: Usage frequency of airports
Most users planned to work, to do business or to visit relatives or friends in Russia. Only 9
percent of users lived in Uzbekistan, 9 out of 101, and only 11 percent of users lived abroad, 2
out of 19 (Figure 7) has the aim of sightseeing. Users show a strong tendency to take flights
repeatedly regardless of their purpose (Figure 8).
Unit: person
deteriorated(3)
3%

no answer (1)1%a little
deteriorated(9)9%attitude toward
customers

improved very
well (12)12%6facilities
no change(22)
23%
improved (50)
52%

43

15
7

flight connection2
12

others330Source: Beneficiary survey

25

9

improved
no change

8

deteriorated
10

20

30

40

50

Source: Beneficiary survey

Figure 9: Improvement of airports (1)Figure 10: Improvement of airports (2)(multiple answers)

Sixty-four percent of the respondents (62 out of 97) who use the same airport more than
twice answered that the airport got better than before (Figure 9). Forty-three people answeredthat facilities had especially improved. Twenty-five people answered that the airport staff’s
attitude toward passengers had improved (Figure 10). On the other hand, seven people answeredthat facilities had not improve sufficiently and six answered that the attitude of staff had not

7

improved. Compared to other answers, these answers accounted for a significant number.
Although at the time of the ex-post evaluation, it was recommended that measures should betaken for the development of tourism, such as a review of the number and schedule ofinternational flights, referring to Figure 10, there are not many respondents who answered thatthese were improved or even not. These results imply that these measures had not beenrecognized by users. In the answers to free response questions, there are many comments about
the bad attitude and low quality of service of airport staff, including custom officers, as well as
demands that facilities such as tax-free shops, internet access, ATM etc. be improved. Moreover,in the answers to the questions asking the points to be improved for promoting the utilization of
the airports, there are many requests on reduction of air fares and increase in flights (Figure 11).
Unit: respondent
bring down airfare

99

increase flight58

publicize on TV or newspaper etc.

set packaged tours

improve time scheduleothers

18

8

12

8

Source: Beneficiary survey

Figure 11: Points to be improved for promoting the utilization of the airports (multiple answers)(2) Improvement in the convenience of the airports for passengers through the modernization of
airport facilities
In addition to the above mentioned beneficiary survey, interview surveys 5 with airport staff
and major travel agencies were conducted regarding improvements in the convenience of the
airports for passengers through the modernization of airport facilities. Some airport staff felt thatthe quality of service for navigating, landing and taking-off together with safety had increased
through compliance with ICAO standards and the rehabilitation of airport control towers. Many
travel agencies thought that modernization of the three airports was definitely a good thing as an
airport is the face of the country that tourists see when they first arrive. Others said that the
number of direct international flights had increased and more local residents were using flights.
Moreover, there are other positive comments about the improvement of safety throughmodernized airport facilities and the increase in international flights.
5

For the interviews with staff at each airport, questionnaires were sent via Uzbekistan Airways in advance andinterviews with persons in charge were conducted individually at each airport based on the questionnaire.
Semi-structured interviews also took place with twelve travel agencies in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva
which had been introduced by Japanese travel agencies specializing in Central Asian or Uzbek tourism

8

Uzbekistan Airways has made efforts to improve convenience for passengers by reviewing
their timetables based on the recommendations of major travel agencies made at meetings
between Uzbekistan Airways, Uzbektourism and Uzbekistan Railways. However, many travel
agencies harshly criticized Uzbekistan Airways’ review of their timetable as it did notnecessarily correspond to passengers’ needs.
2.1.3 Impact
2.1.3.1 Attainment of Project Goals(1) Promoting Tourism Development
The number of tourists in Uzbekistan has basically increased although it decreased
temporarily due to the Andijan Massacre in 2005 (Table 5).
Table 5: Trend in the number of tourists 6
Unit: person

year

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

261,600

241,900

272,200

353,800

377,450Samarkand

336

653

710

1,475

2,000

Bukhara72,10360,46873,602

101,232

111,448

Urgench/ Khiva

19,42017,24819,60024,31529,657

Total in Uzbekistan

Source: Uzbektourism, Uzbekistan Airways

Simple comparisons of data in Table 5 cannot be made as it is from different sources and isbased on different statistical bases. However, the numbers of tourists who use the airports inSamarkand and Urgench/Khiva after ex-post evaluation can be estimated to some extent as thedata is limited to the number of airport users 7 .
Generally speaking, in Uzbekistan, foreign tourists get into the country from Tashkent andfly to Urgench. They then travel by land (on buses and trains) from Urgench to tourist spots in
Bukhara and Samarkand. They leave the country from Tashkent or take a reverse route. Tourists
generally take flights to Urgench as it is located more than 1,000 km from Tashkent. On theother hand, Samarkand is located at an approximately 4-5 hours distance by bus or train. In
comparison with the time it takes to get to the airport and for boarding procedures, buses ortrains are more convenient, their fares also being lower than flights as well as the negligible
difference in time required for the journey (Table 6). Tourists do not therefore use the airports inorder to travel from Tashkent to Samarkand. Moreover, as Bukhara is located between

6

The total number of tourists in Uzbekistan is the number of foreign tourists who visit Uzbekistan. It is not limited
to airport users. (source: Uzbektourism) The number of Samarkand is the number of arrivals by chartered flights oraircrafts of tourists themselves. (source: Uzbekistan Airways, Samarkand Airport) The number of Bukhara is thenumber of tourists who visit Bukhara for one year. It is not limited to airport users and it includes domestic tourists.
(Source: Uzbektourism Bukhara office) The number of Urgench is the number of tourist who departed from Urgench
Airport or were members of registered group tours. (source: Uzbekistan Airways, Urgench Airport)
7
The total number of tourists who used the airports is not illustrated.

9

Samarkand and Urgench/Khiva and Shahrisabz, a tourist spot only accessible by land, isbetween Samarkand and Bukhara, airplanes are not used in this case either 8 . Therefore tourists
generally travel by land in order to visit Bukhara.
Table 6: Comparison with other modes of transportation for the journey
between Samarkand and Tashkent 9
Mode
fare
Uzbekistan Airways
First class€104
Business class€53
Economy class€36
Uzbekistan Railway
Business class
18,000 sum (about€8.5)
Economy class

12,000 sum (about€5.7)

National Bus―

7,100 sum (about€3.4)

Time (hour)number

1

6/week4

5/week4～5Everyday(8/ week)

remarks

Express train“Sharq”

Source: various references

At present, in order to promote tourism development in Uzbekistan by integrated measures,
the Government of Uzbekistan has set up a cross-organizational working group comprising of
the ministries concerned, agencies and local governments. It is also implementing the “Tourism
Development Program 2009-2015”. As part of the program, integrated tourism redevelopment isbeing undertaken in Samarkand through the large-scale rehabilitation of tourism infrastructureand guidance for hotels in Samarkand in order that they can improve their service in compliancewith international standards.
(2) Promoting Economic Development
As cargo volumes at each airport have varied quite a bit through the years, it is difficult tosay how much the Project has contributed to economic development in Uzbekistan (Figure12) 10 .
Although it cannot be seen clearly from the figures, however, staff at Bukhara Airport saysthat they have appreciated side-effects on the regional economy. For example, spare parts andequipments required at oil refineries and other plants near Bukhara can be imported directlyfrom other countries without going through Tashkent as Boeing cargo jets can land and take off

8

There is only a limited number of inter-city flights in Uzbekistan. Basically people have to go through Tashkent inorder to move to other cities. There is a flight that runs Urgench – Bukhara – Tashkent on the timetable, however, it isoften cancelled because of a lack of passengers.
9 Exchange rate 1sum= €0.0004720 (interbank rate as of July 29, 2009)10
Cargo will be dealt with intensively at Navoi Airport. A Special Economic Zone has been constructed aroundNavoi Airport and the plan to construct an international logistic center at the airport is being carried out.

10

at Bukhara Airport following modernization.
Unit: ton
1,200
Samarkand

1,000

BukharaUrgench

800
600
400
200
0

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Source: Uzbekistan Airways

Figure 12: Trends in cargo volume
2.1.3.2 Environmental and Social Impact
At the time of the ex-post monitoring, there had been no reports of problems due to air ornoise pollution during project implementation or in connection with the subsequent operation of
the various airport facilities. At the time of the ex-post monitoring, no problem was reported.
According to Uzbekistan Airways, the environment is improving from year to year due to thetransition from soviet propeller aircrafts to jets such as Boeing and Airbus in compliance withICAO standards.
2.1.3.3 Other Impacts
The following impacts were also recognized at the time of the ex-post monitoring; (1)benefit to local residents, (2) improvement in work efficiency for airport staff, and (3)improvement in the motivation of airport staff.
(1) Benefit to local residents
The number of local residents taking flights in order to visit relatives and work in Russia isincreasing. For instance, the number of international arrivals at Samarkand Airport in 2008 was
78,198 in total and the number of tourists was 2,000. It can be estimated that more than 75,000
peoples went to Russia from Samarkand Airport on international flights. Since there were only
approximately 13,000 users in 2003, this illustrates that the number of local users of the airport
have increased markedly during the past five years. Airport staff indicates that one of the causesof this increase in users is that people can save time and money as they no longer need to go
through Tashkent.

11

(2) Improvement in work efficiency for airport staff
Some airport staff commented that operational efficiency also improved as the work
environment improved through the modernization of the airport control towers. A further
comment was that the modernization had made it easier for staff to operate and maintainfacilities. It can thus be seen that the Project has contributed to improvement in work efficiency
for airport staff to a certain extent.
(3) Improvement in the motivation of airport staff
After the ex-post evaluation, each airport won international prizes for their operation. For
example, Bukhara Airport won a prize for the best airport in CIS countries in 2008. Samarkand
Airport won a similar prize. Urgench Airport won a gold prize from the European Fund forBusiness Practice (FEBP) 11 . This resulted in improvement in staff motivation. Some staff said
that they took pride in working at the airport.
2.2 Sustainability
No problem was seen regarding the structural aspects, human resource aspects, technicalaspects nor regarding the current status of operation and maintenance. As for the financial status,
concerns were pointed out at the time of the ex-post evaluation, and expenditure continued to
exceed income in Bukhara Airport and Urgench Airport. However, there is no problem with thebudget for operation and maintenance since according to Uzbekistan Airways, headquarters
cover the shortfall from their own budget.
2.2.1 Operation and Maintenance Agency
2.2.1.1 Structural aspects of Operation and Maintenance
The structure of operation and maintenance has not changed since the ex-post evaluation.
Uzbekistan Airways is responsible for everything from airport construction, operation andmanagement, through air transport services and the licensing of airline companies. In addition,
Air Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan exists as a supervisory authority over both thecivil and the military aviation sectors. Air Administration is responsible for regulation andsupervision over the complete aviation sector including Uzbekistan Airways.
Operation and maintenance of equipment at each airport is carried out by the department
responsible for the provision of electricity and light. Operation and maintenance of the runways
at each airport is undertaken by the department responsible for ground operations. Special
departments for the procurement of spare parts required daily are set up at each airport, and they
supply them without delay 12 .

11This organization recognized the business practiced by the airport and the effective management system they have.
They also noted the status of the airport as an international airport that complies with ICAO standards.
12
Headquarters are responsible for procurement for major civil works and expensive equipment.

122.2.1.2 Technical aspects of Operation and MaintenanceAccording to Uzbekistan Airways, manuals for the equipment procured by the Project still
existed at the time of the ex-post monitoring. Guidelines for the operation and maintenance of
airport facilities have also been drawn up. Operation and maintenance of airport facilities arebasically conducted in line with these guidelines. These, together with guidelines for thehandling of hazardous materials and guidelines for handling general cargo are revised annuallyin accordance with ICAO recommendations.
There are sufficient spare parts in stock and no problem was observed at the time of the
ex-post monitoring.
According to Uzbekistan Airways, engineers working on operation and maintenance of
airport facilities were trained in Western Europe. There is no problem in sustainability in termsof personnel or technical capacity.
2.2.1.3 Financial aspects of operation and Maintenance
It is difficult to make a definite statement on whether or not the financial status is sound as
financial data provided by Uzbekistan Airways does not come in the form of balance sheets but
in records of cash flow. According to Uzbekistan Airways, however, there is no problem withthe budget for operation and maintenance since headquarters cover the shortfall from their own
budget, should the airport budgets run short.
At the time of the ex-post evaluation, all three airports had been constantly in deficit
between 1995 and 2002 and excesses were covered by payouts from Uzbekistan Airways.
However, surpluses at Samarkand Airport have been recorded since 2006 due to income frompassengers and the sale of fuel which has been increasing due to this increase. Urgench Airport
is expected to improve its balance of payment following the establishment of services between
Urgench and Paris, Rome and Milan in 2010.
Table 7: Cash Flow Status of the three airports
Unit: Sum
2000
Samarkand

BukharaUrgench

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Income338,077

406,573433,175

1,666,265

3,054,639

4,718,619

6,617,328

9,375,494 16,369,600

Expenditure472,779

607,820565,997

2,176,179

3,118,778

4,952,954

5,891,779

8,929,573 14,145,684

Balance-134,702-201,247-132,822-509,914-64,138-234,336

725,549445,9222,223,916

Income315,036

514,743

700,425

1,470,549

2,014,164

2,020,867

4,480,924

7,220,359 11,062,096

Expenditure

376,902526,722604,197

1,917,562

2,776,259

4,061,864

4,437,510

7,775,751 11,881,981

Balance-61,866-11,979

96,228-447,014-762,095 -2,040,997

43,414-555,393-819,885

Income301,773

419,481

517,916

1,321,108

1,726,785

1,753,510

2,902,531

4,669,903

6,824,052

Expenditure

290,233

447,548

614,485

2,085,681

2,444,186

4,193,714

3,412,839

6,188,008

8,147,303

Balance

11,540-28,067-96,569-764,574-717,401 -2,440,204

Source: Uzbekistan Airways

13-510,308 -1,518,105 -1,323,2512.2.2 Current status of Operation and MaintenancePhoto 1：Repairs with bitumen

No problem is observed in the current status of operationand maintenance. In addition to daily checks on the runways,
at Bukhara Airport and Urgench Airport where there areinclement weather conditions, major checkups and repairs
with bitumen are conducted every spring and autumn. All
three airports were credited with “satisfactory conditions”
when the roughness of runways were checked in an inspection
conducted by the Moscow Scientific Institute in 2006.
Airport facilities and equipment other than runways arewell maintained, based on guidelines in compliance withICAO standards, and they are in a very good condition.

3.

Conclusion, Lessons Learned and Recommendations

3.1 Conclusion
Although, at the time of the ex-post evaluation, some concerns about effectiveness werepointed out due to the declining number of passengers since 1998/1999, this number has
dramatically increased at each airport since 2006. This increase in effectiveness is remarkable incomparison with the results of the ex-post evaluation. Regarding sustainability from thefinancial aspect, expenditure has continuously exceeded income at Bukhara Airport andUrgench Airport, although a tendency to improve has been observed in Samarkand. However,there is no problem with the budget for operation and maintenance since headquarters cover the
shortfall from their own budget, if the airport budgets run short. Uzbekistan Airways has madeefforts to establish flights going through Samarkand or Bukhara for international flights between
Tashkent and CIS countries and to have meetings with the concerned parties in order to revise
timetables for the tourist season. However, this has not sufficiently reflected the needs ofpassengers according to the beneficiary survey and interviews with travel agencies.
3.2 Lessons Learned
An intended outcome of the project was the promotion of tourism development as the
project sites are located in tourist spots. However, buses or railways have usually been used for
tourists because of their convenience and the short distances involved. The number of tourists
has been affected by international affairs but it is has been difficult to discern a relationshipbetween modernization of the airports and tourism development. Therefore, if the promotion of
tourism development is set as an outcome of projects involving construction or rehabilitation of
airports, a consideration is necessary as to whether the airport is closely related to a tourist area
and whether air transportation is predominant over other modes of transportation.

143.3 Recommendations【To the Executing Agency】
While the modernization of the airports has been appreciated by travel agencies andpassengers, problems with services such as baggage handling and staff attitudes towardpassengers at customs control and passport control have also been pointed out. Further trainingis necessary to improve this service. Moreover, efforts towards the provision of more flexible
services in response to passengers’ needs towards the improvement of balance sheets are to be
expected.
End

15

Comparison of the Original and Actual Scope
Item
1. Project Outputs

Original

ActualSamarkand Airport
1)Civil work

As planned2)Construction work
-New passenger terminal

As planned-New cargo terminals

Not constructed3)Air traffic control equipment

As planned

Bukhara Airport
1)Civil work

As planned2)Construction work
-New passenger terminal

Rehabilitated existing terminal-New cargo terminals

Not constructed3)Air traffic control equipment

As planned

Urgench Airport
1)Civil work

As planned2)Construction work
-New passenger terminal

As planned-New cargo terminals

Not constructed3)Air traffic control equipment

As planned

2.Project Period(for all 3 airports)
Phase I

June1997 –Aug.1999

Mar. 1997 –June 2000

Phase II

Oct. 1999 –Sep. 2000

June 2000-Dec. 2001

3. Project Cost
Phase I
Foreign currency

15,526 million yen

15,036 million yen

Local currency

1,762 million yen

1,517 million yen

Total

17,288 million yen

16,552 million yen

Japanese ODA loan portion

15,526 million yen

15,036 million yen

Exchange rate

1 sum ＝ 2.868 yen

1 sum ＝ 2.092 yen(June 1996)(Phase I contract period average)
1sum ＝ 1.611yen(Phase II contract period average)

Phase II
Foreign currency
Local currency

2,795 million yen

2,786 million yen

77 million yen

0 yen

Total

2,872 million yen

2,786 million yen

Japanese ODA loan portion

2,871 million yen

2,786 million yen

Exchange rate

1sum ＝ 0.740 yen(Nov. 1999)

16