On April 11, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the presentation of transport and utilities sector projects, the presidential press service said on Monday.
Reportedly, as the country develops, the mobility of citizens is growing and international ties are expanding, which in turn necessitates the expansion of road, rail and air transport infrastructure. In particular, in accordance with the presidential decree dated April 30, 2021, the transformation of Uzbekistan Airways and Uzbekistan Airports joint-stock companies is ongoing.
In 2021, 5.4 million passengers and 82,000 tons of cargo were transported through the country's airports, and the volume of services provided to foreign airlines increased. As a result of cost optimization measures, the financial performance of all airports has improved. At the same time, a new air terminal complex of the Samarkand International Airport was built and commissioned. The reconstruction of terminal No. 2 of the Tashkent International Airport was carried out, its throughput capacity was doubled. The arrival hall of the Karshi airport has been updated.
In order to continue this work, a country's airports development strategy until 2035 has been developed.
During the presentation, the program for the implementation of this strategy until 2026 was discussed. It provides for the specialization of airports, including the development of Tashkent airport as an international hub, Navoi airport as a cargo hub, Samarkand and Bukhara airports as tourist hubs.
Due to the modernization of the Tashkent International Airport, it is planned to increase the throughput to 2.4 thousand passengers per hour, increase the number of check-in counters, passport control points and boarding gates.
The head of state pointed to the need to expand the horizons and improve the skills of the airport staff, reduce the time of passenger service. As is known, the Andijan, Namangan and Fergana airports existing in the Ferghana Valley are located within the city limits and are surrounded by dense buildings, which limits the possibility of their expansion. In this regard, it is proposed to build a new international airport, which will be the same for all three regions.
The master plan of the Tashkent-Eastern airport was also discussed. Information was provided on projects for the construction of new passenger terminals at the airports of Bukhara and Urgench, as well as on the organization of a regional low-cost airline.
The President instructed to expand the list and improve the quality of services provided at airports, to ensure affordable prices.
The presentation also discussed plans to modernize and increase the coverage of the heat supply system. Over the past four years, 47 boiler houses have been built in the regions and about 80 kilometers of heating networks have been laid.
In 2022-2026, it is planned to build another 172 boiler houses and 482 kilometers of networks, upgrade 109 boiler houses and 543 kilometers of networks. As a result, district heating coverage will increase from the current 52 percent to 66 percent.
It is indicated that some boiler houses can be equipped with cogeneration units, which will allow generating electricity along with heat.
The head of state gave instructions on the digitalization of the heat production and consumption system, the expansion of public-private partnerships in the field, and the financial recovery of heat supply enterprises.
