Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16
By Fakrhi Vakilov –Trend:
The World Bank Group (WBG) has been supporting the modernization of Uzbekistan’s civil aviation sector to improve the country’s accessibility and connectivity, stimulate national economic growth and unlock its tourism potential, WBG representative told Trend in an interview.
To this end, WBG is working in close coordination with the national air carrier Uzbekistan Airways, relevant government ministries and agencies, as well as the private sector, representative added. It was noted that WBG supports the country's efforts to become a leader in regional air transport market.
In August 2018, WBG and the State Investment Committee of Uzbekistan signed an agreement on comprehensive advisory services to facilitate the modernization of the civil aviation sector in Uzbekistan. “It is the first ever Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS) Agreement between WBG and the Government of Uzbekistan”, the bank’s official noted.
Under the RAS programs, WBG provides support to countries at their request in various sectors of the economy. It typically includes technical advice, analytical and advisory services, and implementation support.
The WBG cooperation with Uzbekistan Airways involves the support in developing the airline’s business model, based on which Uzbekistan Airways plans to develop a business plan. This will be one of the next steps to be implemented in the process of the aviation sector reform.
WBG representative stated that the modernization of Uzbekistan’s civil aviation sector will require not only financial investment, but also implementation of reforms, such as development of a civil aviation sector policy as well as improvement of the sector’s operations and institutional, financial and organizational structure. It is also necessary to attract private sector in development of country's airport infrastructure and operations, said the representative.
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