«The final audit will take place in December, and a major meeting in Europe is scheduled for mid-2026, where the decision on this issue will be made,» Zholdoshbek Aidaraliev, CEO of Asman Airlines, said commenting on the prospects of Kyrgyz civil aviation’s removal from the European Union blacklist.
«Once we are removed from the list, we’ll be able to operate direct flights to European countries. Until 2006, flights from our airports were operated to Germany — to Hamburg,» he noted.
According to Aidaraliev, since the beginning of 2025, the country’s aviation sector has served over 500,000 passengers and handled around 11,000 flights.
«With the purchase of our third aircraft, we can now fully operate all domestic flights. Starting in November, we plan to increase the frequency of several domestic flights. We’re also preparing to open new flights on Bishkek—Almaty—Bishkek and Osh—Almaty—Osh routes, as well as flights from several major cities to Tashkent. In winter, we’ll launch a seasonal flight from Almaty to Karakol,» he said.
The airline CEO also noted the growing demand for young professionals graduating from the aviation institute: «We have fully staffed crews for all three planes. Foreign instructors are also working with us, who are inducting our graduates into service.»
Zholdoshbek Aidaraliev admitted that there is still a personnel shortage, but the issue is gradually being resolved.
When asked about the profitability of domestic flights, he said their resumption is part of a government strategy. «We expect tourism growth to make regional routes more profitable in the future,» he added.
Regarding new destinations, Samidinov said that negotiations are underway to resume flights to Belarus and Georgia, and plans are being developed for tourist routes to Vietnam and Thailand.
«New international airports are opening across our country, and thanks to them, we should also expand our flight geography,» Manasbek Samidinov concluded.
