Air Samarkand has moved nearer to the launch of charter flights and scheduled services after receiving its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Uzbekistan Ministry of Transport’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The announcement confirms the airline’s compliance with requirements of the country’s aviation legislation and with international standards and requirements for flight safety under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. It follows a thorough audit of the airline’s technical documentation, equipment and aircraft systems, preparation for flights, as well as the qualifications of flight and ground personnel by inspectors of the Uzbekistan Ministry of Transport.

Anton Khojayan, CEO of Air Samarkand, says: “We thank the Ministry for Transport and the UzAviation Agency for their thorough assessment of our preparation for flights. Air Samarkand is now a further step nearer to the commencement of services from this incredible, historic city of Samarkand. Everything is now ready for this.”

The airline has also officially received its own ‘UZS’ code from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as the radio call sign ‘Samarkand’. Says Mr Khojayan: “Over the past 12 months we have been carefully developing our business strategy, while concurrently recruiting an experienced airline leadership group and a talented flight and cabin crew team to deliver an exceptional in-flight service to our customers. We have an ambitious plan for the rapid development of Air Samarkand, providing our passengers with safe, direct and high-quality services to a growing number of cities in Asia and Europe as we ramp up operations.”

Air Samarkand will initially begin operations with charter flights from Uzbekistan’s second-largest city, before launching scheduled services in the Spring to popular destinations including Turkey, points in south-east Asia, China and others. Further expansion will connect Samarkand with popular cities in Europe during the first 12 months of operations.

The planned full-service carrier has already begun to grow an impressive fleet of modern, safe and fuel-efficient Airbus aircraft. Last month, Air Samarkand received its first Airbus A330-300 long-haul wide-bodied aircraft and an A321 narrow-body airliner for short and medium-haul operations.