Aviation

Qatar Airways Announces Summer Flights to Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Qatar Airways Top 8 trending Desitination for 2025

Qatar Airways announces the latest addition to its summer schedule: four weekly flights to Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital, beginning June 2, 2024, and bookable now.

Tashkent sits in the centre of Central Asia, a region noted for its rich history and various cultures. It shares borders with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

After Almaty, Kazakhstan, the destination is the second city in Central Asia that the State of Qatar’s national carrier serves. Passengers may now travel to over 170 destinations worldwide with seamless global connectivity to Tashkent via Hamad International Airport, the best airport in the Middle East, thanks to a new service operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft.

With its ancient buildings, breathtaking architecture, and lively cultural encounters, Uzbekistan provides a very unique travel experience. The ancient cities of Samarkand and Bukhara are well-known, and tourists may explore and take in the breathtaking Uzbek scenery. This stunning location provides a genuine taste of robust Uzbek food, friendly and hospitable locals, and a distinctive fusion of contemporary and traditional experiences.

When paying 100% of the fare with Avios, or when purchasing with a combination of cash and Avios, members of the Qatar Airways Privilege Club will accrue Avios and may enjoy even higher savings. Along with dining and shopping at Qatar Duty-Free, members can use their Avios for cabin upgrades, packages that include Qatar Airways Holidays, and much more.

The network of Qatar Airways expands:

Four weekly flights will operate from 2 June to 25 October 2024 to Tashkent.

Doha to Tashkent flight QR377 departs at 19:50 and arrives at 01:20+1 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

Tashkent to Doha flight QR378 departs at 03:20 and arrives at 05:20 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Aviation

COMAC Unveils Plans for the C929 to Rival Airbus and Boeing

After the success of China’s first C919 aircraft, the country is setting its sights on developing a larger plane. COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has officially confirmed plans to build a widebody aircraft, marking a significant step in its aircraft lineup.

Traditionally, Airbus and Boeing dominate the widebody aircraft market, with decades of expertise in developing planes and engines capable of carrying heavy payloads. China, which currently relies on imported engines, is now aiming to challenge these giants with its own widebody jet, the C929, designed to compete with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777.

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The C929 will be China’s first independently developed long-range widebody aircraft. It adheres to international airworthiness standards and boasts independent intellectual property rights. The baseline version is designed to seat 280 passengers and offers a range of 12,000 kilometers, catering to global demand for both regional and international air travel.

Russia, which also needs reliable narrowbody and widebody aircraft, could become a key customer for the C929. Additionally, China plans to target the broader Asian market as it continues to expand its aviation capabilities.

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China’s aviation progress includes the ARJ21 (now called C909), a regional jet with 100 seats for shorter routes, and the C919, a narrowbody jet with 180 seats designed to rival the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. Both models have found increasing demand in the domestic market.

At China’s largest air show in Zhuhai, COMAC announced that Air China will be the launch customer for the C929 widebody jet, though details about order size and delivery timelines were not disclosed.

Other major deals announced by COMAC include:

Hainan Airlines: Firm orders for 60 C919 and 40 C909 regional jets.
Colorful Guizhou Airlines: 30 C909 jets, with 20 firm orders and 10 provisional agreements.

The C929, renamed from the CR929 after Russia withdrew from the joint development project in 2023, is expected to carry 280–400 passengers with a range of 12,000 kilometers, competing directly with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

According to COMAC’s deputy general manager, Tong Yu, the first fuselage section of the C929 is expected by September 2027, with prototype test flights anticipated soon after.