When the new international airport of Tashkent opens, the old one will be closed.
The current airport capacity is expected to be fully utilized by 2029.
Construction of Tashkent's new international airport is planned to begin in July 2025. This was announced by Deputy Transport Minister Jasurbek Choriyev on May 5 during the Asian Development Bank meeting in Samarkand, as reported by Gazeta.uz.
According to Jasurbek Choriyev, the public-private partnership (PPP) agreement for the project is in its final stage, and the document is expected to be signed by mid-May.
"We will begin construction of Tashkent's new international airport in July. This is already certain. The public-private partnership agreement must be signed by mid-May. It is currently in its final stage. Once signed, it will be briefly reviewed by the government, and upon receiving approval, we will start construction. The President has given a clear directive to begin work in July," he said.
The Deputy Minister emphasized that the project participants are already prepared, and the discussion involves a major international consortium.
"The participants are already ready; a large consortium has been formed there. We need to sign the main document with the private investor, which outlines all the terms set by both the private and public partners," said Jasurbek Choriyev.
He noted that the state will not assume specific obligations to ensure passenger traffic for the airport.
In response to a question about the future of Tashkent's current airport, the Deputy Minister stated that plans are in place to close the old one once the new airport becomes operational.
"There is actually a conceptual solution and agreed-upon terms with the private partner. If we open the new one, we must close the old one. This is logical. What exactly will be in its place is currently unknown," said Jasurbek Choriyev.
The "New Tashkent" international airport will be built in the O'rta Chirchiq and Quyi Chirchiq districts of the Tashkent region, on an area of 1,300 hectares. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched the construction in October 2025.
The decision to build the new airport is explained by the fact that passenger traffic to the capital has tripled over the past eight years, reaching 9 million people per year, and is projected to exceed 24 million by 2040.
The current airport has a capacity of 11 million passengers and is located within the city.
The project will be implemented on a public-private partnership basis. The consortium consists of the following:
- Vision Invest (Saudi Arabia) — 45%
- Sojitz Corporation (Japan) — 30%
- Incheon International Airport Corporation (South Korea) — 15%
- Uzbekistan Airports (Uzbekistan) — 10%
The project is planned to be implemented in four phases. The cost of the first phase is $2.5 billion, which includes the construction of the airport terminal and airfield.
Once operational, the airport will have the capacity to handle 20 million passengers and 129,000 tons of cargo per year, accommodate up to 30 flight operations per hour, and receive 62 aircraft simultaneously.
The new airport complex will be directly connected to the Tashkent-Samarkand, Tashkent-Andijan, and Tashkent-Bo'stonliq highways. Additionally, plans include the construction of a railway station for high-speed trains and the establishment of bus services between Tashkent and the "New Tashkent" center.
