More than twenty planes of Tajik national air carrier, Tajik Air, will be put up for sale until the end of this year.   According to a special program of state support for Tajik Air for 2018-2023, Soviet-era planes produced in 1969-1992 will be put up for sale. 

Under the plan of action on implementation of the program of the state support for Tajik Air, the company plans to sell the Soviet-era planes that had outlived their service lives this and next year.   

The company will spend the earned money on improving its financial state.  

The company, in particular, intends to sell four Antonov-24Bs, six Antonov-28s and oneTupolev-154M,

Recall, the Government of Tajikistan has ordered the State Committee on Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest) and the Civil Aviation Agency to prepare proposals on attracting investments through privatization of holding of shares of Tajik national air carrier, Tajik Air.  The Government, which owns 100 percent of the shares in Tajik Air, is reportedly ready to pass Tajik Air’s shares into private hands in order to save the company from bankruptcy.    

The plan of actions on implementation of a special program of state support for Tajik Air designed for 2018-2023, in particular, provides for attracting investments through privatization of holding of shares of Tajik Air.   

The plan of actions also proposes to set up a new organization structure of Tajik Air based on job cuts and reduction of the company’s debts.

Tajik Air (Tajikistan Airlines) is the national airline of Tajikistan.  The airline has its main hub at the Dushanbe airport, and it retains a secondary focus point at the Khujand airport.

The company started operations on September 3, 1924 as Tajik Aviation. Its first route was Bukhara to Dushanbe, served by Junkers F-13 aircraft.  It is the sixth oldest airline still in operation.

Tajik Air now serves the following destinations: China (Urumqi); India (New Delhi); Iran (Tehran, Mashhad); Kazakhstan (Almaty); Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek); Russia (Moscow, Novosibirsk, St Petersburg, and Surgut); and Tajikistan (Khorog and Khujand).

The Tajik Air management is currently considering potential upgrade of its air fleet with aircraft of modern Western technology.

Until 2008, Tajik Air had an absolute monopoly in Tajikistan’s air transport, owning all planes, airports, and airport and flight services.  As a result of restructuring, Tajik Air was split up into several separate companies.