The Tajik civil aviation authorities have given permission to airlines to increase the number of regular flights from Dushanbe to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Istanbul (Turkey) from one to four per week.

Tajikistan’s privately owned air carrier Somon Air and Turkish Airlines will now operate four regular flights from Dushanbe to Istanbul (each company carries out two flights) per week and Somon Air and flydubai will now operate four regular flights from Dushanbe to Dubai (each company carries out two flights) per week.   

“The Standing Committee on COVID-19 Response has permitted the airlines to increase the number of regular flights from Dushanbe to Istanbul and Dubai,” Ikrom Subhonzoda, Director of the Civil Aviation Agency under the Government of Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus in an interview.   

Somon Air is the first private airline in Tajikistan with an office headquartered in Dushanbe.  The airline operations are based at Dushanbe International Airport.  The airline started operating on February 5, 2008 with regular flights to Moscow and Dubai.  Somon Air also serves as the official carrier of President of the Republic of Tajikistan and other Tajikistan high-ranking officials.

Turkish Airlines is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey.  As of August 2019, it has operated scheduled services to 315 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the world by number of passenger destinations.  The airline serves more destinations non-stop from a single airport than any other airline in the world, and flies to 126 countries, more than any other airline.  With an operational fleet of 24 cargo aircraft, the airline's cargo division reportedly serves 82 destinations.  Turkish Airlines has been a member of the Star Alliance network since 1 April 2008

flydubai, legally Dubai Aviation Corporation, is a government-owned budget airline in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with its head office and flight operations in Terminal 2 of Dubai International Airport.  The airline operates a total of 95 destinations, serving the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe from Dubai.  The company slogan is Get Going.

Tajik authorities have suspended all international flights.  Tajikistan closed all its airports at midnight on March 19-20 due to the coronavirus concerns.  Only charters flights to repatriate Tajik nationals stranded in foreign countries due to the coronavirus crisis have been operated so far.

To-date, Tajikistan has resumed regular flights to Dubai and Istanbul.