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AIR :
The national airline,
Uzbekistan Airways (HY), currently flies from London (four
flights a week), Amsterdam, Athens, Bangkok,
Bahrain, Beijing, Birmingham, Delhi, Dhaka, Frankfurt/M, Istanbul,
Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, New York, Rome, Seoul,
Sharjah and Tel Aviv. It also flies to most destinations within the
CIS. Tashkent is also served by a number of other international
carriers: Lufthansa (Frankfurt/M and Almaty), Pakistan
International Airways (Islamabad), Turkish Airlines (Istanbul) and
Xinjiang Airlines (Urumchi in China). Flights to Tajikistan have been
suspended since the Tajik civil war at the end of 1992. For further
information, contact Uzbekistan Airways in Tashkent (tel : (71) 254
9919). HY Travel in London are agents for Uzbekistan Airways (see
Contact Addresses section).
Approximate flight times :
From Tashkent to London is 7 hours (direct), to
Bangkok is 6 hours 30 minutes, to Frankfurt/M is 6 hours, to Beijing
is 5 hours 30 minutes, to Tel Aviv is 4 hours 30 minutes, to Delhi is
3 hours 30 minutes, to Istanbul is 3 hours 30 minutes and to Moscow is
3 hours 30 minutes.
International airports :
Tashkent International Airport (TAS) is in the
south of the town, about 11km (7 miles) from the centre. Facilities
include left luggage, bureau de change, duty-free shops, restaurants
and bars. It is served by buses which run every 10 to 20 minutes
(travel time - 30-60 minutes). Trains connect the airport with the
centre (travel time - 10 to 20 minutes) and taxis are readily
available (travel time - 15-20 minutes).
Departure tax :
US$10.
RAIL :
Tashkent is the nodal point for rail services from Central Asia. Lines
lead west to Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), south to Samarkand and on to
Dushanbe (Tajikistan), east to Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) and Almaty
(Kazakhstan) and north to Moscow (Russian Federation). From Tashkent,
along the Saratov-Syr Darya Line, the journey to Moscow takes nearly 3
days. There is also a spur line to the Fergana Valley in the east of
the country, which leads to Osh in Kyrgyzstan. It is possible to
connect to China through Almaty ; and to Iran and the Middle East (via
Turkmenistan). Foreigners have to pay for rail tickets in hard
currency, preferably US Dollars, but it is still a cheap option by
Western standards.
ROAD :
Uzbekistan has road
connections to all its neighbours. The border between Afghanistan and
Uzbekistan is closed to all except Uzbek and Afghan nationals.
Travellers should exercise caution around the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border as
some violent incidents have occured. It is not advisable to bring your
own car. Contact your local Embassy for details. Bus : There
are services to all the neighbouring countries although the occasional
border closures between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan make this route
unreliable. Long-distance buses leave from the Tashkent bus station
near the metro station. Foreigners have to pay for tickets in hard
currency. Car hire :
It is possible to hire cars with
drivers for long journeys; they will normally ask to be paid in US
Dollars. The best place to look for these is at the long-distance bus
and train stations. |
