The Samarkand International Airport
Samarkand International Airport, one of the oldest air harbors in Uzbekistan, the decision to build it was made in 1925. It was decided to start construction due to the fact that in 1920, after the collapse of the Bukhara Khanate, a new state was formed with its capital located in Samarkand. So, the new airbase was opened and put into operation on June 10, 1927. However, the staff consisted of only three people and for a long time the airbase could not fully function due to the lack of radio equipment. The first radio equipment appeared at the airport on July 25, 1931, after the capital was moved to Tashkent.
The first head of the airbase was N.L. Kogan, who made a great contribution to the development of the airport. It was under him that the first regular flights to the cities of neighboring republics were launched.
During the Second World War, the permanent staff of the airport was 29 people. In 1945, after the end of the war, the airport building was forced to move to a new site, as the old one turned out to be too small for the increasing passenger traffic. Thus, the new airport is located 8 km from the center of Samarkand, not far from the ancient settlement of Afrosiab.
Today, Samarkand International Airport is the second largest and busiest airport in the Republic of Uzbekistan after Tashkent International Airport named after Islam Karimov. Samarkand Airport serves about 500 million passengers a year, is a strategic object of Uzbekistan and the entire Central Asian region, plays a significant role in the economy of the country and Samarkand, including a major role in the development of tourism. The airport has one runway that can accommodate all types of aircraft.
In 2009, a major reconstruction was carried out at the Samarkand airport, a new terminal complex was built, the taxiway was reconstructed, a new dispatching service building was built, modern air navigation equipment was installed. The airport's capacity has increased to 500 passengers per hour.
In 2022, a new terminal was opened, which, due to its appearance, was named “An open book.” The roof of the airport, in tribute to the memory of the outstanding scientist of the Middle Ages, Mirzo-Ulugbek, and the contribution he made to the development of the civilization of all mankind, was decorated in the form of numerous constellations of the starry sky.
Samarkand Airport has been repeatedly awarded with international awards, including the award of 2004, when Samarkand International Airport was recognized as the Best airport of the Year among the CIS countries.