Uzbekistan completes construction of Tashkent’s second airport

Uzbekistan has completed construction work at the new Tashkent East Airport (with ICAO code UTTP and often referred to as “Tashkent Vostochny” – the Russian transliteration of its name), which will serve the country’s capital. 

According to local aviation news channel Central Asia +Aero, the country’s presidential plane, a Boeing 767-300 operated by Uzbekistan Airways on behalf of the Uzbek government, recently became the first aircraft to operate at Tashkent East. 

Prior to that, on August 27, 2025, and following a visit to the new facility by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the press service of Uzbekistan’s presidential administration announced the official completion of the airport construction project. 

President Shavkat #Mirziyoyev reviewed the new airport built based on “Tashkent – East” airfield, set to serve both the capital and New Tashkent. pic.twitter.com/z5qGixCqQX— Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Press-service (@president_uz) August 27, 2025Tashkent East airport has a 4,000-meter runway and two terminals, for business aviation and official guests. The apron is capable of accommodating up to 20 widebody aircraft simultaneously. 

Work at Tashkent East began in 2017 at the site of a former military base which had also previously been used as a testing ground by the Chkalov Tashkent Aviation Production Association (TAPOiCh, after its Russian initials).  

Aircraft production was set up in Tashkent during the Second World War by the Soviet authorities as they relocated essential war industries away from the European frontline. 

The Tashkent aircraft plant, later renamed Tashkent Mechanical Plant, continued to assemble aircraft after the war, including some Soviet-designed icons such as the Il-76, until 2015. Despite some speculation that full aircraft production may be resumed, in the last decade activity has been limited to the production of some parts and components as well as aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). 

For the foreseeable future, the new airport will primarily serve executive and government flights. In line with this vocation, in January 2025, the government of Uzbekistan signed an agreement with UAE-based executive jet operator Jetex to set up the first fixed base operator (FBO) in Uzbekistan. 

Tashkent East is also expected to alleviate congestion at Tashkent’s main commercial airport, Islam Karimov International Airport (TAS).  

Uzbekistan has seen a sharp increase in both air traffic and the number of operators in the country since 2019 following a gradual liberalization of the air transport industry. 

The new airport could also potentially serve New Tashkent in the future. New Tashkent is a large urban development project which will significantly expand the Uzbek capital in an eastward direction in the vicinity of the new airport. The post Uzbekistan completes construction of Tashkent’s second airport appeared first on AeroTime.

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