DUSHANBE, August 3, 2009, Asia-Plus — Aziz Ibrohimov, the deputy director of the Dushanbe airport, told a press conference in Dushanbe on August 3 that passenger traffic via the Dushanbe airport has amounted to 418,000 people over the first six months of this year, which is 25 percent fewer than in the same period of last year.
Ibrohimov attributed the decrease in passenger traffic to effects of the global financial crisis and the decrease in the number of Tajik labor migrants traveling abroad.
The deputy director noted that more than 1,130.3 tons of cargo have been shipped via the Dushanbe airport in January-June 2009.
“Over the report period, the bodies of 169 Tajik nationals have been returned to Tajikistan via the Dushanbe airport,” Ibrohimov said.
“Over the same six month period, the Dushanbe airport’s total profit has amounted to nearly 47 million somoni,” the deputy director said.
According to him, 18 air companies, including three local air carriers, 10 airlines from the CIS states and five others from the far abroad countries, have operated flights from and to the Dushanbe airport over the report period.
Three Tajik airlines are Tajik Air, Somon Air and East Air.
Tajik Air (Tajikistan Airlines) is the national air carrier of Tajikistan. It is based in Dushanbe airport. The company started operations in September 3, 1924 as Tajik Aviation. Its first route was Bukhara to Dushanbe, served by Junkers F.13.
Somon Air is an airline based in Dushanbe. It is Tajikistan’s first private air carrier. Somon Air was granted an operating license and aviation operator certificate in 2006. As of January 16, 2009, the Somon Air fleet included Boeing 737-400 (which is operated by East Air) and Boeing 737-800.
East Air is a charter airline based in Dushanbe. As of March 28, 2009, East Air’s fleet has included two Boeing 737-200 (one aircraft is operated by Kam Air), one Boeing 737-300 (which is operated for Tajik Air), and three Boeing 737-400 (one aircraft is operated for SkyLink Arabia).
