BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, July 31. Kyrgyzstan is planning to launch direct flights to the US, Manasbek Samidinov, Chairman of the Board of OJSC Manas International Airport, announced at a press conference, Trend reports.
Samidinov said that discussions have been held with the US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan about opening direct flights from Bishkek to New York or Chicago.
"They supported our proposal for these direct flights. As we are currently on the EU's blacklist, we have invited the US civil aviation authorities and carriers to conduct an audit with the goal of implementing these flights in the future," he said.
In 2006, Kyrgyzstan and its airlines were placed on the EU Aviation Safety List, commonly known as the "blacklist," due to non-compliance with flight safety standards. As a result, Kyrgyz planes have been barred from flying to EU countries since then.