The global aviation industry is emerging from the pandemic into a period of recovery and growth. However, according to analysts from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), rising revenues are accompanied by a sharp increase in costs. Operational and capital expenditures, including rising prices for new aircraft and higher leasing rates, are becoming a key challenge for airlines. In these conditions, only carriers with strong brands operating in the premium segment can maintain healthy margins, while competition in the low-budget and mass segments is becoming more difficult.
Uzbekistan's strategic location between Europe and Asia provides potential for the country to become a natural transit hub. As emphasized by BCG experts Vasiliy Triandafilidi and Andrey Novitskiy, realizing this potential requires advanced infrastructure. This includes a large terminal, sufficient gates for quick transit, an efficient 'wave' flight schedule (multiple arrivals followed by passenger transfers), and a high level of customer experience. The current Tashkent airport has only 12 gates, which is insufficient for a major international hub.
However, competition in the region is intense. According to experts, major transit flows between Europe and Asia are already well served by large hubs such as Dubai and Istanbul. If Uzbekistan wants to increase its share, it must offer comparable service quality. Events in the Middle East have shown how lucrative transit hubs can be (e.g., prices tripling), but capitalizing on such opportunities requires ready infrastructure and a developed route network.
Uzbekistan's local advantage is its large population (twice that of Kazakhstan), which provides the necessary 'baseload' for national airlines. Currently, the average airfare in Uzbekistan is equivalent to 25 working days of income (in Kazakhstan, 4 days; in the West, 1 day), meaning it is still a luxury good. With the economy growing at 6-7% annually, this metric could improve, and local demand is expected to rise, bringing operational profit to airlines.
A transit hub model could have a significant impact on the entire country's economy. If a passenger stays for a day or two, it generates revenue not only from the air ticket but also through hotels, transport, restaurants, and tours. Additionally, aircraft maintenance, cargo logistics, and e-commerce infrastructure would develop. However, developing such a hub takes 10 years or more, as it resembles tree growth: first come partnerships and code-sharing agreements (roots), then infrastructure (trunk), and only later the service ecosystem (crown).
Source: www.gazeta.uz