The Delhi airport, reeling from the impact of closure of Pakistan’s airspace for Indian airlines, is seeing newer carriers from Central Asia touchdown.
Central Asian airlines are flocking to India like never before, so much so that there will soon be 24 weekly flights on seven carriers connecting Central Asia to New Delhi.
Here’s a lowdown on Central Asian flights from New Delhi:
- Uzbekistan’s Centrum Air has two Tashkent-Delhi flights per week.
- Uzbekistan Airlines operates daily flights on the Tashkent-Delhi route.
- Air Astana operates 10 flights a week to Almaty from New Delhi.
- Aero Nomad and TezJet operate once a week each to Bishkek.
- Somon Air operates once a week to Dushanbe.
- Turkmenistan Airlines operates twice a week to Ashgabat.
In December, Krgyz carrier TezJet will launch weekly operations to New Delhi. Already, Aero Nomad operating a weekly service between the two countries.
Aviation Dynamics
As a wave of privatisation sweeps over Central Asia, its airlines are looking beyond Russia to expand their flight operations. India, especially New Delhi, fits in perfectly both in terms of range and traffic profile.
Before the covid pandemic, there were 26 weekly flights between India and the five Central Asian countries—all operated by their carriers. That figure will increase to 45 by December and can even rise to 59 if the Pakistan airspace opens up and IndiGo reinstates its flights from Delhi.
IndiGo did launch flights to Almaty and Tashkent in September 2023, but had to pull them out overnight after the Pahalgam terror attack and the Operation Sindoor that followed. The airline eventually launched flights from Mumbai, losing ground to Air Astana and Uzbekistan Airlines on routes to Almaty and Tashkent from New Delhi. Now, Centrum Air has also joined them.
Growing trade and tourism
The five Central Asian republic nations—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—had been closely controlled even after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. But things change.
From “tourist police” and invite-only visa to becoming visa-free for up to 14 days for Indians, Kazakhstan has come a long way—and it shows.
Kazakhstan, as well as Uzbekistan, were the first to open up to the world and reap the benefits of a liberal visa regime, attracting tourists to some of the most pristine natural landscapes and historical monuments along the ancient Silk Route.
On the flipside, India is popular for medical tourism. Indian hospital chains have been increasing their presence in Central Asia, especially Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, with tertiary care centres.
In Fiscal 2025, India exported goods and services worth $927 million to the five Central Asian republics, recording a growth of 24.58% year-on-year. Imports stood at $275 million. That translates to a trade surplus of $652 million in favour of India.
Tailnote
Indians have been adventurous over the last few years—encouraged by higher disposable incomes and short videos on social media—to opt for offbeat travel destinations rather than traditional tourist hotspots of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Central Asia is a new addition to this travel story, and Central Asian airlines are rising to the occasion.