Uzbekistan, Tashkent, August 12 / Trend D. Azizov /
Today the Navoi International Airport (Uzbekistan) has put into operation the cargo terminal, the Uzbek National Airline "Uzbekistan Airways" told Trend. Commissioning of the cargo terminal is a key stage of the investment project to build the international intermodal logistics center on the base of Navoi airport. It is implemented with the participation of Korean Air.
The new cargo terminal is capable to transport up to 300 tons per day (100,000 tons per year).
The terminal is equipped with six workstations for loading and unloading of 20 tons and 5 tons, refrigeration and freezer, chamber heating, storage of dangerous goods, perishable foodstuffs and animals. All essential services (customs, sanitary control, declarants, agents for cargo, etc.) will be concentrated in the administration.
The Korean Kyung Sang Machinery Co., Ltd., having experience in similar work in the Incheon airport, was dealing with the terminal equipping.
"Uzbekistan Airways" and Korean Air signed a memorandum in February 2008. It envisaged construction of the international logistics center on the basis of the Navoi airport.
Uzbekistan Airways signed an agreement on the transfer of the Navoi airport (administrative center in Navoi region) under the management of Korean Air in December 2008. At the same time, an agreement was signed to lease two cargo aircrafts A300-600 of Korean Air to the Uzbek airline.
Since August 2008 the Korean airline has made cargo flights through the Navoi airport.
The logistics center in Navoi airport will include a cargo terminal, the fuel-filling complex, air-navigation center and other units with all necessary infrastructure.
The airport has one runway to receive big aircrafts. The second runway is planned to be built in future when the flow of aircrafts is increased.
At the moment, a transcontinental part of the global network of air transportation through the Navoi airport is represented by twelve flights of Korean Air per week by Boeing 747 on the routes Incheon-Navoi-Milan, Incheon-Navoi-Brussels and Shanghai-Navoi-Milan.
The regional network includes 11 airline flights of "Uzbekistan Airways" in a week by A300 aircraft, including Navoi-Delhi-Navoi, Navoi-Mumbai-Navoi, Navoi-Bangkok-Navoi, Navoi- Frankfurt-Navoi and a charter program of freight transportation on the route Navoi- Dhaka-Navoi, Navoi-Frankfurt- Navoi with one flight per week in each direction.
Flights to Istanbul, Almaty, Dubai, Moscow and Tel Aviv will be made in the nearest future.
"Uzbekistan Airways" is the exclusive air carrier in Uzbekistan. It is wholly owned by the state. Fleet of the company includes 20 western aircrafts: three A-310, 2 A-320, two truck A-300-600F, five Boeing-757, five Boeing-767 and three RJ-85 and five IL -114-100.
It was reported that the airline increased passenger transportation by 14,4 percent in January-June 2010 compared to 2009 - up to 972,600. The amount of freight traffic increased by 2,5 times - up to 22,600 tons.
Uzbekistan airline makes flights to 21 cities in Europe, U.S, Middle East, Asia, 22 cities in the CIS countries and 11 destinations on the local routes.