Samarkand, Uzbekistan, was founded around the eighth century B.C.
Samarkand in Uzbekistan, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia, has secured its first nonstop flights to China as part of ongoing efforts to further strengthen social and economic ties between the countries.
China Southern Airlines will begin flying to Samarkand International Airport (SKD) from Oct. 16, operating once a week from Urumqi International Airport (URC) using a two-class Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The route will become the seventh direct link between Uzbekistan and China, and the only one not to touch capital city Tashkent.
Dmitry Martynenko, commercial director for SKD management company Air Marakanda, says the service “marks a new step” in Uzbek-China relations that will “further promote strong interconnectivity and collaboration between our two nations and provide a new economic pathway for capital to flow for both business and tourism.”
Samarkand, founded around the eighth century B.C., prospered from its crossroads location on the Silk Road between China and Europe and remains part of China’s Belt & Road initiative. The city’s airport unveiled a new $80 million terminal building in March 2022 that will allow it to handle up to 1,000 passengers per hour.
Since then, a string of new international routes has been launched, including flights from Dubai International Airport by flydubai, and from Abu Dhabi International Airport by Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows SKD is connected to 17 destinations nonstop at present, compared with seven at this time in 2019.
Urumqi, meanwhile, is located in the far northwest of China and known as the most remote city from any sea in the world. China Southern already offers two flights per week from URC to Tashkent International Airport (TAS), while Uzbekistan Airways serves the same route once a week.
The four other Uzbekistan-China routes operating at present are all to TAS, with China Southern flying 4X-weekly from Beijing Daxing; Uzbekistan Airways operating 2X-weekly from Beijing Capital; and Loong Air providing a 3X-weekly connection from both Chengdu and Xi’an Xianyang.
China Southern’s new Samarkand service will depart URC on Sundays at 11:20 p.m. and return on Mondays at 1:30 a.m. The arrival back into URC will be timed to allow connections onto the carrier’s early-morning bank of flights.
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