Uzbekistan emerges as Central Asia’s сheapest international air hub

Uzbekistan has unexpectedly emerged as the cheapest air travel hub in Central Asia, judging by the average price of a one-way international ticket.

According to Uzbek media cited by Caliber.Az, analysts reviewed searches and actual departures for international routes in 2025. All prices are given in US dollars (about $1 ≈ 12,278 Uzbek soums at the time of publication).

The average cost of an international flight from Uzbekistan stood at $315, placing the country first in terms of affordability in the region. By comparison, the average price reached $431 in Kazakhstan, $406 in Kyrgyzstan, and $372 in Tajikistan.

The gap was particularly noticeable on routes to Russia — one of the region’s key destinations — where tickets from Uzbekistan were around 29% cheaper than those from Kazakhstan.

Although Russia, Türkiye, and the UAE remain the most popular destinations, demand patterns in Uzbekistan are shifting. Residents are increasingly flying to China, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Tajikistan. In Kazakhstan, travelers favor China, Thailand, and Azerbaijan; in Kyrgyzstan, Germany, China, and Georgia; and in Tajikistan, China, Latvia, and the United Kingdom. This highlights the emergence of different aviation and economic priorities across the region.

Kazakhstan leads in interest in business-class travel, with its residents choosing higher comfort about 20% more often than their neighbours. In Uzbekistan, business class is mainly preferred on long-haul routes — to China, India, Thailand, Singapore, the US, Japan, and Italy — where comfort becomes a critical factor.

Travel with children was most common in Kazakhstan (6.9%) and Kyrgyzstan (6.2%). In Uzbekistan, the figure stood at 4.7%, which may indicate a more cautious approach to family trips abroad.

By Tamilla Hasanova