Uzbekistan to reconstruct Urgench International Airport for $264 mln

TASHKENT. Aug 17 (Interfax) - Reconstruction of Urgench International Airport, Uzbekistan, should increase capacity from 300 to 1,300 passengers per hour, with investment in the project totaling $264 million, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's press service reported on Monday.

Mirziyoyev has inspected the progress of the airport complex reconstruction.

The project is being implemented through a public-private partnership with South Korea's Incheon International Airport Corporation.

As part of the reconstruction, the airport is planned to be ready to handle wide-body Boeing 747 and Airbus A350 aircraft.

The first phase includes the construction of a parking area for 18 aircraft and a new taxiway. Additionally, border and visa control points, a business lounge, retail and food outlets, a 24-hour medical center, and a duty-free zone will be built.

The press service said that the airport's modernization is partly owing to the growing tourist flow to the Khorezm Region, of which Urgench is the capital, as well as the increasing number of major international events held there.

According to the press service, approximately 10 airlines currently operate scheduled flights to the airport. The airport's services have jumped 31% year-on-year to UZS 126 billion since the beginning of the year.

Urgench International Airport was opened in 1960 and obtained international status in 1992.

The official exchange rate as on August 17, 2026, is UZS 11,890/$1.