SCAT Airlines Introduces New Turkistan–Uzbekistan Routes

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are expanding the geography of mutual air services. Beginning in December, new flights will be launched between the two countries, connecting Turkistan with three major tourist centers of Uzbekistan — Bukhara, Urgench (Khiva), and Samarkand.

The flights will be operated by SCAT Airlines three times a week. Tickets are already available for purchase, with a minimum price of 40,000 tenge one way. At the initial stage, the routes will be subsidized to ensure stable passenger demand and improve travel accessibility.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the new routes are part of a broader initiative to develop a unified Central Asian Silk Road tourism concept, linking Almaty, Shymkent, Turkistan, Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. The first organized tour to Samarkand has already departed, demonstrating growing interest in interregional cultural tourism.

Industry experts note that the opening of these routes will strengthen tourism cooperation between the two countries, enhance regional mobility, and make the historic cities of the Silk Road even more accessible.