Uzbekistan Airways – Airbus: 30 years of cooperation

On June 16, 2023, at the international airport of Tashkent named after Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan Airways solemnly welcomed the 18th Airbus A320neo.

Uzbekistan Airways announces the receipt of the eighteenth Airbus A320neo aircraft. The aircraft was handed over to Uzbekistan Airways at the manufacturer's plant in Toulouse. As it is a tradition, the new aircraft was greeted with a water arch.

It is noteworthy that the aircraft arrived in Tashkent on the day of 30 years of cooperation between the national air carrier of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Airbus concern - exactly 30 years ago, on June 16, 1993, Uzbekistan Airways received its first aircraft of the Airbus A310 type. And then it began the renewal of the airline's fleet with Western-made aircraft.

Airbus A310 has been successfully operated on the international routes of the national air carrier for many years. With its arrival, the approach to the training of pilots and flight attendants completely changed, the aircraft repairment began to master the maintenance and repair of Western equipment. On this plane in 1995 the first transcontinental flight Tashkent-New York-Tashkent was carried out for the first time, which became a great occurrence of that time.

Over time, Uzbekistan Airways switched to more economical Airbus A320/321. Today, the airline's fleet successfully operates 29 passenger and cargo aircrafts, of which 17 are manufactured by the Airbus concern. 

“In the current year, in total, we will receive 5 new aircraft of the Airbus A320neo type. Our passengers have already been able to appreciate the comfort of this type, low noise level, modern interior and advanced air conditioning system. It is worth noting that the Airbus A320neo is more efficient in operation compared to previous generations in terms of fuel consumption and increased flight range” – Shukhrat Khudaikulov, Chairman of the Board of Uzbekistan Airways JSC said.

The new liner is designed to carry 186 passengers in a single-class layout. According to the Chairman of the Board of the airline, this measure is designed to satisfy the seriously increased demand for flights from Uzbekistan, however, after receiving all the aircraft by the end of this year, it is planned to convert to a two-class configuration with a business class. Also, in the near future we plan to refresh the corporate livery, which is why the eighteenth aircraft and the next four aircraft will be accepted in a simplified fuselage color.

Airbus A320neo is the quietest aircraft in its class. Take-off soundtrack area is 50% smaller than previous generation aircraft. Moreover, in this type, the air conditioning system has been improved, which completely renews the air every two minutes and ensures its uniform distribution throughout the cabin.

Uzbekistan Airways plans to use a new aircraft on a number of routes in a single-class configuration from Tashkent and the regions of the Republic. The airliner was delivered under a long-term lease by BOC Aviation, an old partner of Uzbekistan Airways. As part of the meeting of the eighteenth Airbus aircraft, airline employees with children, as well as media representatives and airspotters were invited.