Samarkand International Airport (SKD) just recorded its 22nd consecutive monthly increase in passenger numbers, making it the second fastest growing airport in Europe and Central Asia.

ACI Europe has released data showing that SKD has increased passenger traffic by 191.6% since 2019, before the Covid pandemic. This is the second largest growth of any airport measured by ACI Europe, an organization representing over 500 airports in 55 countries. The average growth of airports in Europe/Central Asia over the same five-year period is 9%.

SKD also announced that July was the 22nd consecutive month of growth since October 2022, as the number of passengers in the month rose to 121,157 from 80,539 in 2023. This came after a record 647,085 passengers passed through the airport in the first six months of the year, 47% more than in 2023. A further 207,421 passengers used the new airport facility, which serves as a gateway to Uzbekistan’s ancient and fast-growing city in the heart of the famous Silk Road. Average growth across the European region was just 5.8% in the first half of the year compared to 2023, says ACI Europe.

Dmitry Martynenko, Commercial Director of Air Marakanda, said: “We have now achieved 22 consecutive months of passenger growth, driven by demand for domestic and international travel from Samarkand and the surrounding area, as well as the increasing number of foreign airlines flying into our incredible ancient city of Samarkand. Air Marakanda will continue to expand its route network and passenger numbers at Samarkand International Airport during the summer and for the remainder of 2024, as airlines increase capacity and open new city connections to Samarkand.”

Martynenko said: “The government’s positive Open Skies policy, our historic city of Samarkand and our state-of-the-art airport and other tourism facilities continue to drive passenger growth at Samarkand International Airport. There is much more to come as foreign visitors recognise Samarkand’s potential. This city today combines ancient architecture, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, with important modern investments, including the Silk Road Samarkand tourist centre and other 21st century infrastructure. We are at the beginning of work to attract more visitors to Samarkand, our surrounding region and the whole of Uzbekistan, as tourism helps generate new revenues in our economy.”

Samarkand airport management company Air Marakanda has achieved a doubling of passenger numbers in each of the last two years. In 2023, more than one million passengers will use the new, state-of-the-art airport terminal for the first time. The total number of 1,010,938 passengers exceeded the record of 517,521 set in 2022 by 104.9%, and this growth shows no signs of slowing down.

According to data from ACI Europe, SKD ranks second in growth among medium-sized airports after the Albanian capital Tirana since 2019, increasing its passenger traffic by 239.3%, while Babimost in western Poland led the small airport category with a growth of 176.4%. Istanbul recorded a growth of 18.1%, leading the “major airports”, Athens was the fastest-growing “mega airport” with 24.5% more passengers, and Sochi was the fastest-growing “major airport” with an increase of 90.8%.

Samarkand International Airport is classified in the “medium-sized” size category – for airports with an annual passenger volume of between one and ten million – and is now listed among the top ten regional airports in the Central Asia region in the international airport rating of the World Airport Awards (SKYTRAX).

Passenger traffic at SKD is expected to increase following the opening of Air Samarkand, the first airline based at the airport. In addition to an extensive charter flight program, Air Samarkand launched scheduled flights to Istanbul in March and last week began twice-weekly round-trip flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to support religious pilgrims on their way to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Air Samarkand also operates flights to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt and Nha Trang in Vietnam using Airbus A321neo and A330-300 aircraft.

The airport recently welcomed Chinese low-cost airline Loong Air, which began operations from Samarkand Airport to Xi’an (China).

Further growth in international passenger traffic came from the cities of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Istanbul, Moscow and St. Petersburg, which together carried 612,963 passengers, an increase of 56% over 2023.

Since the beginning of 2024, the route network of Samarkand International Airport has been expanded to 24 domestic and international routes. Other new destinations include Turkistan, Tyumen, Irkutsk, Nizhny Novgorod and Xi’an.