Tajik national air carrier, Tajik Air, is expected to launch a twice-weekly service to Zhukovsky International Airport in the Moscow oblast soon, according to the Tajik Air press center.
Tajik Air, which currently operates seven flights to Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport per week, has reportedly received consent from the Russian civil aviation authorities for operating a twice service to Zhukovsky International Airport.
Recall, Tajik and Russian authorities have reached an agreement aimed at resolving a dispute that has prevented some civilian flights between their countries. The Tajik-Russian commission for economic cooperation reportedly agreed in Dushanbe on January 27 that Tajikistan's privately owned air carrier Somon Air will be allowed to resume its flights to four Russian cities — Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar, Ufa, and Orenburg — beginning on February 3.
Meanwhile, Russia's Yamal Airlines will resume its flights to Tajikistan during the summer from Zhukovsky International Airport.
In November, with Moscow and Dushanbe disagreeing about the status of Zhukovsky Airport, Russia's Transport Ministry threatened to suspend all Russian flights to Tajikistan.
In December, Dushanbe banned Yamal flights to Tajikistan out of Zhukovsky Airport and Russia banned Somon Air flights from Tajikistan to some Russian regions.
The dispute focused on Dushanbe's claim that Zhukovsky Airport, which was opened in May 2016, was Moscow's fourth international airport and had led to an increased number of flights from Moscow to Tajikistan.
Moscow insists Zhukovsky Airport is not a Moscow airport, but rather is under the authorities in the city of Ramenskoye — about 40 kilometers southeast of central Moscow.
Tajik Air now operates its regular flights to the following cities in Russia: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Surgut; also, it flies to Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek), Kazakhstan (Almaty), Iran (Tehran), China (Beijing, Urumqi), and India (New Delhi).
From Khujand International Airport, regular flights are operated to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Surgut.
As regards domestic destinations, the Air Company flies from Dushanbe to Khujand.
Currently, the Tajik Air’s air fleet has 36 aircraft, 12 of which are operated on flights including two Boeing 757-200s, two Boeing 737-400s, one Boeing 737-300, one MA-60, one AN-28, one AN-26 and three Mi-8 MTV helicopters. The remaining 24 aircraft, mainly of the USSR production, are on long-term storage.
The Tajik Air management is currently considering potential upgrade of its air fleet with aircraft of modern Western technology.
