Uzbekistan to launch low-cost carrier

New low-cost subsidiary of Uzbekistan Airways is expected to start operations this year (Faebot // Wikimedia.org)

The Uzbek flagship airline, Uzbekistan Airways, is creating its own low-cost carrier (LCC), which could already make an appearance on the market this year, according to newswire Gazeta.uz.

The airline expects the LCC’s launch to significantly reduce ticket prices on international routes. In addition to Russia, which has been named the primary destination, the future carrier will operate flights to Turkey and Egypt, as well as to domestic routes. The projected price to travel Moscow – Tashkent has been set at $100. The current one-way ticket price costs at least $200.

Uzbekistan Airways is currently looking to the experience of other world airlines in low-cost carrier launches. This includes Russia’s Aeroflot Group, which has the low-fare subsidiary Pobeda Airlines since 2015. Just last year, Azerbaijan launched its own LCC, Buta Airways. The subsidiary of the country’s national carrier AZAL launched service in September 2017 and currently operates a fleet of six Embraer E190s.

2017 was a good year for Uzbekistan Airways, which managed to increase its passenger traffic by 9.4% year-on-year, the first increase in several years.