Uzbekistan Airways received the first of two Czech-made LET L-410 light aircraft from the Czech LET Aircraft Industries on Saturday. Now, the company intends to restore flights to cities of Uzbekistan such as Zaamin, Jizzakh, Sariasia, Syrdarya, and the cities of the Ferghana Valley. For a decade, flights to these destinations in Uzbekistan have been suspended.
An agreement on the purchase of two L-410-E20 turboprop aircraft was signed in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent a month earlier, on 15 June. The second plane is expected to arrive in late October - early November this year. In the future, new purchases of such aircraft are possible, the acquisition of up to four aircraft was reported.
After acceptance at the manufacturing plant in Kunovice and checking the flight characteristics, the aircraft made a two-day journey to Tashkent with intermediate stops in Bulgaria, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, as reported by the press service of Uzbekistan Airways.
The LET L-410 aircraft has 19 passenger seats and is capable of taking off and landing on almost any type of runway, including ultra-short ones with a length of 510 meters or more. At the same time, the flight range is up to 1500 km.
Director of Uzbekistan Helicopters Sardor Irmukhamedov informed that the air carrier plans to restore communication with the cities of the Ferghana Valley, Zaamin, Jizzakh, Syrdarya, Sariasia and others.
“Thanks to the new aircraft, we will be able to improve the availability of flights and increase the mobility of the population of Uzbekistan - this is the development strategy of the airline,” he said.
After completion of the clearance procedures, approximately starting next week, LET L-410 will launch flights to Samarkand. Later on, other cities of Uzbekistan will be added to the operation step by step.
The representative of the carrier added that the aircraft is designed for operation in extreme weather conditions with temperatures from -50 to +50 degrees Celsius, reliable and easy to maintain. This type of aircraft is operated in more than 60 countries, he said.
The maximum cruising speed of the aircraft is 405 km/h. The maximum flight duration is 5 hours and 10 minutes. The maximum operational flight altitude is 4200 m. The onboard electronic equipment is equipped with modern Garmin GPS communication and navigation systems and an advanced proximity warning system.
Launching new flights and designing new flight routes to various cities of Uzbekistan, creates convenience for foreign travelers visiting Uzbekistan, by offering more variety of tourist spots in the country to visit and discover. Tourists will be to travel easily to other attractive destinations in Uzbekistan except for the traditional tourist cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. The sights of Ferghana Valley, Zaamin, Jizzakh, and Syrdarya invite international tourists traveling to Uzbekistan, as well as local enthusiasts, to discover and enjoy the beautiful landscapes, colorful traditions and variety of Uzbek food these locations have to offer for visitors.
