DUSHANBE, July 21, 2014, Asia-Plus — Privately owned Somon Air has expanded its share of Tajikistan’s market as Tajik national air carrier, Tajik Air, has given part of its flights to Somon Air.
In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tajik Air head Firouz Hamroyev noted on July 21 that Tajik Air has operated 793 flights over the first six months of this year, which is 8 percent fewer than in the same period last.
Tajik national air carrier’s incomes have reportedly dropped 80 million somoni over the s same six-month period.
“The main reason for decrease in the number of flights operated by our company is the fact that the Ministry of Transport has taken three flights from Khujand to Moscow as well as the Dushanbe-Istanbul flight from us and given them to Somon Air,” said Hamroyev. “We are currently seeking ways to fill in this gap.”
According to some sources, Somon Air is controlled by relatives of the highest leadership of Tajikistan.
Tajik Air (Tajikistan Airlines) is the national airline of Tajikistan. The airline has its main hub at the Dushanbe airport, and it retains a secondary focus point at the Khujand airport. The company started operations on September 3, 1924 as Tajik Aviation. Its first route was Bukhara to Dushanbe, served by Junkers F-13 aircraft. It is the sixth oldest airline still in operation.
Tajik Air now serves the following destinations: China (Urumqi); Iran (Tehran, Mashhad); Kazakhstan (Almaty); Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek); Russia (Moscow, Novosibirsk, St Petersburg, Samara, Sochi, Surgut, and Yekaterinburg); Tajikistan (Khorog and Khujand); and United Arab Emirates (Sharjah).
Somon Air is also based in Dushanbe. It is Tajikistan”s first private airline. Somon Air is also the first airline in Tajikistan to launch an online booking system. The airline uses the Boeing 737 in its fleet.
The company now flies to the following destinations: China (Urumqi); Germany (Frankfurt am Main); Kazakhstan (Almaty); Russia (Irkutsk, Khanty-Mansisysk, Kazan, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Orenburg, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Nizhnevartovsk, Novosibirsk, Tuymen and Yekaterinburg); Saudi Arabia (Jeddah); Tajikistan (Khujand); Turkey (Istanbul); Ukraine (Simferopol, Kyiv); and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai).
Somon Air also serves as the official carrier of President of Tajikistan and other Tajik high-ranking officials.
