The international airport of Andijan intends to significantly increase the number of flights—from the current 8–9 to 60 per week—after the completion of the new terminal construction.
Deputy Director of the airport, Kobiljon Abdunazarov, told journalists that the limitation on increasing flight frequency is the capacity of the existing terminal. It is designed to handle only 200 passengers per hour, which at this load allows the airport to accept and dispatch approximately one flight hourly without violating service standards.
The introduction of the new terminal will solve this problem, as its capacity will reach 1000 passengers per hour. This will ensure the possibility of increasing flight frequency and expanding the geographical range of destinations served.
Expansion of Route Network and Technical Readiness
The airport prioritizes increasing the number of flights to Russia. Among the most popular destinations remain Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Kazan; although flights on these routes are already operated, their frequency will be increased after the opening of the new infrastructure.
Furthermore, the airport is preparing to operate with wide-body aircraft such as Airbus A330, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787, which requires the presence of corresponding infrastructure. The new terminal will be equipped with additional inspection zones, check-in counters, and border control points.
Nevertheless, Abdunazarov emphasized that the development of the route network depends not only on the technical capabilities of the airport itself. Foreign airlines conduct their own checks of the airport before starting flights, assessing, for example, the availability of sufficient sanitary rooms, the quality of inspection organization, and baggage loading safety. The current terminal does not allow this check to be completed in the required volume.
Currently, international flights depart from Andijan to Jeddah, Medina, Novosibirsk, Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, and Istanbul, with a total of 8–9 flights per week.
Domestic Transport and Passenger Flow
Domestic flights are also in high demand. Airport Director Sohibjon Kenjaev noted that two daily flights from Andijan to Tashkent, departing at 19:40 and 22:10, regularly depart fully loaded, and tickets for them sell out quickly.
The demand for international destinations is driven not only by the residents of Andijan. For example, on one recent flight to Jeddah, nearly 70% of the 363 passengers were citizens of Kyrgyzstan, which is attributed to the region's proximity to the border and the development of cross-border ties.
Within the Fergana Valley, only the Andijan—Tashkent route is currently operational. Kenjaev explained that Andijan is the farthest of the three regional centers of the valley from the capital, unlike Namangan and Fergana, which can be reached by transport without significant difficulty. Therefore, for the residents of Andijan, the plane remains the most convenient way to get to the capital, making this domestic route the most popular in the region.
Plans are being considered to create a schedule convenient for business trips in a 'one-day' format—with a morning departure to Tashkent and an evening return.
The airport's passenger flow shows growth. In 2025, after resuming operations in March, the air hub accommodated over 94 thousand passengers. In the first seven months of 2026, this figure reached 127 thousand, and by the end of the year, more than 200 thousand people are expected to be served. After the full launch of the new terminal, the annual passenger flow is projected to increase to more than one million people.
It is planned that the construction of the new terminal will be completed by the end of 2026. Earlier, plans were announced to demolish the old passenger terminal of Andijan International Airport because the expansion of the runway made the old building non-compliant with safety requirements.