TASHKENT, June 24 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has called on AirAsia X to add Samarkand to its routes, amid increased interest in holy sites in the region.
He said the move is part of Malaysia’s plan to promote people-to-people ties through tourism, cultural exchanges, leveraging the rich cultural heritage of both countries and historical sites, and joint initiatives in education and human capital development.
“When I was in Samarkand, there was a request by the governor and deputy governor of Samarkand for at least one direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Samarkand, which I will bring back to AirAsia X, and hopefully we can get a direct flight from Samarkand, especially for umrah,” he said in his opening remarks at the Malaysia-Uzbekistan Business Forum 2025 here today.
The forum was jointly organised by Malaysia-Uzbekistan Business Alliance and Uzbekistan’s Investment, Industry and Trade Ministry.
Fadillah is on his final day of a working visit to Uzbekistan before travelling to Russia until Saturday.
Yesterday, AirAsia X said flights to Tashkent, Uzbekistan will be thrice weekly from October 15.
The new route was introduced following AirAsia X’s entry into the region with a flight to Almaty, Kazakhstan, in early 2024.
— Bernama
