Tajik Air exempt from aircraft import duties, taxes

The president of Tajikistan also instructed the government to devise a program to support the national carrier (Tajik Air)

Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon has instructed the government to exempt national carrier Tajik Air from the payment of customs duties and VAT on imported aircraft. The decision was announced as part of the annual presidential address to parliament.

The measure is aimed at facilitating the airline’s “technical renovation”, thus improving passenger experience, which in turn is expected to stimulate the development of the tourism sector. Tajikistan’s air transport industry is suffering from aging fleets, substandard management, and financial constraints. Rahmon also instructed the government to develop and implement a program to support Tajik Air.

In his previous address in 2017, Rahmon tasked Tajik Air with purchasing long-range aircraft, improving maintenance, and introducing a policy of affordable fares. The carrier had taken delivery of its first widebody airliner, a Boeing 767-300, in December 2016 and was expecting to receive several more of the type in the coming years.

Tajik Air’s fleet comprises over 30 aging aircraft but the airline only operates six, including a Boeing 757-200, a Boeing 737-300, an Antonov An-28, and a Mil Mi-8MTV helicopter. The carrier’s 31-year-old 767 has not been in operation since December 31, 2017.