Parviz Shodmonzoda, who had previously served as deputy director of Bokhtar International Airport, has been appointed to head Tajik Air (Tajikistan’s national air carrier), which is on the verge of bankruptcy.
Sources close to the country’s civil aviation claim that “Shodmonzoda knows the situation in the company very well from the inside, and he is tasked with the mission of pulling Tajik Air out of a difficult financial situation.”
Meanwhile, other experts are confident that it will not be possible to save the airline, if even its ex-head Dilshod Ismatullozoda, whom they consider “one of the best managers of the country,” could not cope with it.
According to them, the new director general of the country’s national air carrier “is a good businessman whose mission is most likely to be a more profitable sale of the company’s property to pay off numerous creditors.”
Tajik Air’s debts exceed 40 million U.S. dollars. It owes 20 million U.S. dollars to Lithuanian UAB Skyroad Leasing alone.
Besides, Tajik national air carrier has reportedly owed a large amount in the form of taxes and other payments.
Recall, the Government of Tajikistan in 2018 ordered the State Committee on Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest) and the Civil Aviation Agency to prepare proposals on attracting investments through privatization of holding of Tajik Air’s shares. The government’s decree of September 25 ordered to adopt a special program of state support for Tajik Air designed for 2018-2023. The plan of actions on implementation of the program, in particular, provides for attracting investments through privatization of holding of shares of Tajik Air. The plan of actions also proposes to set up a new organization structure of Tajik Air based on job cuts and reduction of the company’s debts. The plan of actions also provides for increasing flight frequencies on domestic and international air routes.
At the time it was planned to sell Tajik Air’s 23 aircraft of 1969 1992 years of manufacture, engines and gearboxes (282 pieces) and other equipment. The proceeds were to be used for the financial recovery of the air carrier.
Tajik Air (Tajikistan Airlines) 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. Until 2008, Tajik Air had an absolute monopoly in Tajikistan’s air transport, owning all planes, airports, and airport and flight services. As a result of restructuring, Tajik Air was split up into several separate companies.
