Tashkent International Airport

Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport (Uzbek: Islom Karimov Toshkent Xalqaro Aeroporti) (IATA: TAS, ICAO: UTTT) is the main international airport of Uzbekistan and the third busiest airport in Central Asia (after Almaty International Airport and Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in Astana, both in Kazakhstan). It is located 12 kilometres (6+1⁄2 nautical miles) from the center of Tashkent. It was named after Islam Karimov, the first president of independent Uzbekistan, in office from 1991 until his death in 2016.
The history of Tashkent Airport dates back to the early 20th century. On May 12, 1924, the first passenger flight was completed on a Junkers R-13 aircraft along the Tashkent–Pishpek–Almaty route.
On August 8, 1930, the first airlift connected Moscow with Tashkent. The first Moscow-Tashkent-Moscow flight was operated on a K-4 aircraft.
During the Soviet era, the airport evolved into a major transport hub.
In 1957, the Tu-104 jet aircraft began operating on the Moscow-Tashkent-Moscow route. This was preceded by a radical upgrade of the radar and communication services. New landing systems, RSP-4, were introduced in Tashkent. Then, the Romashka radar system was deployed.
In 1958, Tashkent Airport was granted the status of an international airport of Class I.
In 1967, the Yak-40 and Tu-134 aircraft were introduced. The capital of Uzbekistan was connected by direct air links with Leningrad, Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Simferopol, cities of the Baltic states, the Caucasus, and the Far East.
On September 20, 1972, the supersonic Tu-144 aircraft made its first flight on the Moscow-Tashkent-Moscow route. The cruising speed of the airliner reached 2,500 km/h (1,600 mph), and it covered the distance from Moscow to Tashkent in 1 hour and 50 minutes.
On January 28, 1992, Uzbekistan Airways was established. In the same year, the airline, under its code HY, operated its first international flight from Tashkent to London on an Il-62 aircraft.
In 1993, the airport served 1,409,900 passengers. During the mid-1990s, significant renovations were carried out with the help of Western construction companies.
This ICAO Category II airport is the primary hub of Uzbekistan Airways, the largest international airport in Uzbekistan, and the busiest in Central Asia. The airport comprises two terminals: Terminal 2 receives international flights, and Terminal 3 is for domestic traffic.
In March 1995, Uzbekistan Airways started flights from Tashkent to New York via Riga. It used Airbus A310s on the route. Terminal 2 was rebuilt in 2001, and renovations were completed in 2018. It has a capacity of 1000 passengers/hour and serves more than two million passengers per year. Facilities include waiting lounges, CIP and VIP halls, restaurants and bars, currency exchange offices, duty-free shops, airlines ticket counters and sales offices, and a 24-hour pharmacy.
Terminal 3 opened in 2011 with a capacity of 400 passengers per hour. The two terminals are separated by the runway, requiring passengers transiting from international to domestic flights and vice versa to exit the airport in order to transfer between them. In July 2017, Uzbekistan Airways began offering nonstop service to New York using its Boeing 787 fleet.
On 25 January 2017, the airport was named after Uzbekistan's First President, Islam Karimov.
Since 2021, the area of the international terminal at Tashkent International Airport has expanded by nearly 50%, growing from 45,000 to 65,000 square metres (484,376 to 699,654 sq ft).
In August 2024, another stage of building expansion was completed at Tashkent International Airport’s terminal. Large-scale reconstruction works included the renovation of the facade, the departure hall, and the waiting areas for passengers and visitors. A drop-off zone for passengers was added near the entrance, allowing vehicles to approach the first floor. A new hall for passengers and those seeing them off was also introduced, along with a small green recreation area equipped with benches. The airport also began testing a passenger monitoring system called Pax Track.
In November 2024, the Tashkent International Airport began an expansion of its arrival hall. The terminal's façade will be extended forward, increasing the area nearly twofold. The expansion will allow for the addition of two baggage carousels and a new area for meet-and-greet services inside the building. The arrival hall’s area is set to increase by 2,500 square metres (26,910 sq ft), expanding from the original 5,300 square metres (57,049 sq ft). The project is slated to be completed by May 2025, with the final phase involving the merger of the departure and arrival terminals. This will create a unified airport complex with a capacity to handle 2,400 passengers per hour.
In 2024, the Tashkent International Airport served 8.7 million passengers, which is 28% more than the previous year's results. It is the busiest airport in Uzbekistan as well as the 8th busiest in the Post-Soviet states.
By 2026, the Tashkent International Airport plans to merge its arrival and departure terminals.
Tashkent-2 is used for international flights, providing spaces for passengers arriving and departing. The terminal has waiting rooms, shops, and cafés for passengers' needs.
This terminal is designated for domestic flights and has the capacity to handle up to 400 passengers per hour. Tashkent-3 Terminal providing access to key historical cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva, as well as almost all regional centers within Uzbekistan. This terminal plays a crucial role in facilitating domestic travel across the country It includes facilities such as a pharmacy, café, shops, and telephone services.
In 2023, there was a big fire at the airport and a warehouse exploded.
The airport is considered one of the largest and most modern airports in Central Asia. It offers services for numerous aircraft and passengers, along with a variety of service facilities. Due to its advantageous location, it facilitates flights to Europe, Southeast Asia, the United States.
Tashkent International Airport is the hub for Uzbekistan Airways, the national carrier of Uzbekistan, which operates an extensive network of direct flights to numerous destinations. The airport serves several other international airlines that connect Tashkent with destinations primarily in the CIS region. Turkish Airlines also has a significant presence at the airport, with 14 weekly flights from Istanbul, making it the airline with the second-highest number of weekly flights after Uzbekistan Airways.
Covering an area of 100 ha (250 acres), it includes 110 parking spaces for aircraft and features two runways: northern and southern — both of which meet international standards for accommodating large aircraft, including Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 models. Runway 08L/26R with an asphalt surface, measuring 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) in length and 60 metres (197 ft) in width. Runway 08R/26L, also with an asphalt surface, is 3,905 metres (12,812 ft) long and 45 metres (148 ft) wide.
Inside the terminal building, 56 monitors are installed to display information for passengers. An electronic ticketing system is also in place.
Since 2024, a 24-room hotel for passengers has been operational at Tashkent International Airport.
The airport is equipped with a variety of vehicles for technical services, including Mulag Comet and Nissan towing tractors, Hunnert Gmbh water dispensers, Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa passenger buses, and Alfons Cak fuel dispensers.
At Tashkent International Airport, vehicles permitted to approach the first floor for passenger drop-offs. Short-term parking is allowed for up to 10 minutes. After this time, integrated cameras with the traffic control system will automatically issue a fine notification to the driver.
There are local Uzbek companies Bobur Diyor, MyTaxi and Russian Yandex Taxi offering services at Tashkent International Airport.
Media related to Tashkent International Airport at Wikimedia Commons