AirAsia X celebrated the launch of its inaugural direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 16 October, marking a new chapter in the airline’s growing Central Asia network and reinforcing Malaysia’s role in promoting Southeast Asia as a gateway to new regions.
This new connection further broadens AAX’s global footprint, linking Southeast Asia with Uzbekistan’s capital city, a hub steeped in Silk Road heritage and opening affordable access for travellers between both regions.
The launch comes at an opportune time as Malaysia intensifies its international tourism promotion ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), which aims to attract 47 million visitors and generate RM329 billion in receipts. The new service is expected to boost arrivals from Central Asia while promoting Malaysia’s diverse destinations and Muslim-friendly tourism ecosystem under the MFAR (Muslim-Friendly Tourism & Hospitality Assurance and Recognition) programme.
Building on the success of its Kuala Lumpur–Almaty route launched in 2024, AAX has already connected nearly 165,000 guests between Malaysia and Central Asia with strong load factors nearing 80% in line with growing demand for cultural and leisure travel. The addition of Tashkent is expected to accelerate this momentum, creating new opportunities for tourism, education, trade and investment.
In conjunction with the launch, AAX also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Uzbekistan’s tourism authorities to collaborate on joint promotions and exchange programmes aimed at expanding bilateral travel and strengthening people-to-people ties.
Benyamin Ismail, CEO of AirAsia X, said: “This year alone, we have flown more than 80,000 and counting travellers between the two regions with Kuala Lumpur ranked as the world’s top low-cost carrier hub by OAG, enabling many to connect seamlessly to over 130 destinations via our Fly-Thru network. This new route further complements Malaysia’s tourism agenda ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026 by strengthening inbound travel and positioning Malaysia as Asean’s leading gateway to new regions.”
AAX flies to Tashkent with thrice-weekly flights, offering more than 82,000 seats annually.
Flight Schedule between Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and Tashkent (TAS):
In March, AirAsia had launched direct flights to Almaty, Kazakhstan and the airline will make its inaugural fight to Istanbul on 14 November.
