Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport launched a direct passenger route to Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, which marks the first non-stop passenger service from Shenzhen to Central Asia and the airport’s first new international service this year, according to several media reports.
The inaugural flight from Tashkent to Shenzhen landed on 30 March, carrying 200 passengers, 170 of whom entered China visa-free.
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Operated by Uzbekistan Airways, the route will run once a week. Flights from Tashkent depart at 10:10 pm local time on Sundays and arrive in Shenzhen at 7:40 am Beijing time, while outbound flights leave Shenzhen on Mondays at 9:10 am Beijing time and land in Tashkent at 1:30 pm local time.
The route deepens co-operation between China and Uzbekistan under the Belt and Road Initiative, boosting exchanges in trade, investment, energy, infrastructure and people-to-people ties, offering Shenzhen businesses a more direct gateway to the Central Asian market.
With the launch of the Tashkent service, Shenzhen airport is now officially connected to 42 cities in 23 Belt and Road partner countries.
