China, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan agree to expand flight allowances

Aviation agreements reached in Tashkent will increase China's weekly flight ceilings with Kazakhstan to 180 from 150 and with Uzbekistan to 114 from 100. Airlines operating between Kazakhstan and China will also be authorized to serve Chengdu and Kashgar.

The agreements came at the third Central Asia–China (C5+1) working group meeting on civil aviation cooperation. A separate Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan agreement raises the weekly ceiling for each route linking Tashkent with Almaty and Astana to 60 from 42. Other routes connecting the countries will be allowed 20 flights a week, compared with 14 previously.

Kazakhstan's Civil Aviation Committee said the higher allowances would accommodate increasing travel demand. The committee's chair, Saltanat Tompiyeva, said Kazakh airlines want to reach Chinese destinations beyond major hubs including Beijing and Shanghai.

The arrangements support the “Air Silk Road” initiative to expand air connections and simplify cross-border operations. Uzbekistan aims to attract passengers connecting to Europe from China and nearby Central Asian countries, said Jamoliddin Nazarov, head of the Air Transport Department at Uzbekistan's Ministry of Transport.

Airlines also face cost constraints. Vietjet Qazaqstan CEO Adilbek Umraliyev said fuel price increases and higher airport charges were making regional services costlier. He urged airlines and aviation authorities to cooperate more closely on costs and affordability.