Urgench international airport will be modernized and transferred to outside management on a public-private partnership model, Uzbekistan Airports said, announcing the first stage of the tender. The airport is currently being operated by Uzbekistan Airports, a state company.
The project is expected to be implemented on the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model.
The airport located in the main city of Khorezm region, less than 30 km from the tourist town of Khiva, served 590,000 passengers in 2023. This year, this traffic is expected to increase by 17%.
According to preliminary estimates, during the PPP period the traffic will grow by an average of 7.5% annually.
Currently, 8 airlines operate regular flights to Urgench, and about 40 airlines operate charter flights.
The modernization project includes construction of a new 3,500 m long runway (the current runway is 3,000 m), the main taxiway, two high-speed taxiways, two connecting taxiways, new administrative terminal, new cargo terminal, new catering complex, new passenger terminal to handle 1,000 passengers per hour for international flights and 300 passengers for domestic flights, with an area of 39,000 square meters.
From 20 July to 5 August, the airport was closed for major reconstruction of the runway. On the evening of 5 August, it received the first flight after the construction works.
The modernization and transfer of Tashkent International Airport and other low-performance airports, as well as Bukhara and Urgench international airports, to management under PPP was planned by the end of 2023 by a presidential decree of April 2022.
