Kyrgyzstan’s main international airport has agreed to purchase two aircraft as part of efforts to grow connectivity within the landlocked Central Asian country.
Manas International Airport (FRU), located 16 mi. from the capital Bishkek, has signed a deal with De Havilland Canada for a pair of Dash 8-400s, which are expected to be delivered next May. The acquisition is connected to a government strategy, led by President Sadyr Japarov, to “significantly increase” Kyrgyzstan’s domestic route network and lower the cost of airline tickets for passengers.
As one of the smallest countries in Central Asia, the former Soviet state of Kyrgyzstan is home to about 6.7 million inhabitants. It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, China to the east, Tajikistan to the southwest and Uzbekistan to the west and southwest.
Although international capacity from the country has now exceeded pre-pandemic levels—helped by the expansion of Russian carriers Aeroflot and Ural Airlines, and the addition of service from new entrants Azerbaijan Airlines, Flynas and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi—domestic capacity remains lower.
According to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, there are 6,900 domestic seats available in Kyrgyzstan during the week commencing Sept. 18, marking a reduction of 34% on the same period in 2019. The sole scheduled domestic route operating is between FRU and Osh, a city located in the south of the country.
A key factor behind the lower domestic capacity stems from the grounding of Bishkek-based LCC Air Manus, which accounted for 63% of domestic capacity during 2019. This has left Avia Traffic Company and Tez Jet Airlines as the sole providers of domestic flights.
Source : Aviation
