Uzbek national carrier, Uzbekistan Airways, has blamed Tajikistan’s privately owned airline, Somon Air, for cancelation of the long-awaited regular flight between Dushanbe and Tashkent.
A reliable source says Uzbekistan Airways has sent a letter to the Tajik aviation authorities in which it reportedly expresses concern about spread of inauthentic information by Somon Air.
The letter reportedly says that Somon Air has made application for operating not regular but charter flights between Dushanbe and Tashkent.
According to the source, the letter notes that the application was received only on February 19 just a day before the flight. Meanwhile, the issue of giving permission for flights must be considered by Uzbekistan’s national security service and air defense forces.
Moreover, it is necessary to get data card for operating regular flight. The data card is issued for operating regular flights during the whole season, says the letter.
The letter also notes that Somon Air has not yet opened its office in Tashkent for organizing selling tickets in Uzbekistan.
Recall, the first regular scheduled flight between Dushanbe and Tashkent was unexpectedly canceled on February 20 after weeks of anticipation.
With the exception of a test flight on February 10, there have been no direct civilian flights between the two capitals since 1992.
Somon Air said in a statement of apology to its customers that Tashkent has refused to receive the flight from Dushanbe without giving any explanation for its decision.
Meanwhile, Uzbek national air carrier, Uzbekistan Airways, has blamed Somon Air for the cancelation of the flight.
“Somon Air did not submit form “R,” which lists all the requisite conditions for completing an international flight. That is the main reason for this flight being cancelled,” a spokesperson for the airline told EurasiaNet.org.
BBC’s Russian Service has cited Uzbek aviation authorities as saying that the flight cancellation was not politically motivated and was simply down to technical misunderstandings. Also, the countries have reportedly yet to sign an air transportation bilateral treaty.
An estimated 26 passengers had been due to travel on the February 20 flight. Disappointed customers were reimbursed or given tickets for the flight from Dushanbe, to Khujand, the capital of the Tajik northern Sughd province. In the absence of a direct link to Tashkent, many people in Tajikistan traveling to Uzbekistan usually make their way to Khujand and then cross the border overland.
Air links between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were suspended in 1992 at Tashkent’s initiative and the issue of resumption of the direct air communication between the two countries has been raised at meetings between state officials of the two countries more than once.
Under a preliminary agreement, Somon Air was supposed to operate the Dushanbe-Tashkent flight once weekly until the end of the winter season, but that frequency could increase to twice a week in the summer.
