Getting there · Routes checked 29 October 2026
Getting there · Routes checked 29 October 2026
Which airport
Almost every international visitor arrives through Tashkent. Samarkand and Bukhara also take direct international flights, and they are worth considering if your trip starts in one of those cities rather than the capital.
Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport (TAS) — the main gateway, about 12 km from the city centre. The widest choice of direct routes, and the hub for domestic flights to Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench (for Khiva).
Samarkand International Airport (SKD) — about 5 km from the city centre. Direct flights from Istanbul and Izmir, plus domestic links to Tashkent. Fly here if Samarkand is your first stop.
Bukhara International Airport (BHK) — direct flights from Istanbul and Moscow, plus domestic links to Tashkent. Fly here if Bukhara is your first stop.
Urgench (UGC) is the airport for Khiva: a taxi from Urgench to Khiva takes roughly 30–45 minutes (see the 7-day itinerary for how the Khiva extension works).
Rule of thumb: if you are doing the classic Tashkent → Samarkand → Bukhara route, fly into Tashkent and take the train between cities. Flying into Samarkand or Bukhara only saves time if your trip genuinely starts there.
Direct routes from Tashkent
Flight times below are typical scheduled times, worked out from published timetables checked on 29 October 2026. Airlines change schedules by season — always check the current timetable before booking.
| From Tashkent (TAS) to | Airline | Typical flight time |
|---|---|---|
| Istanbul (IST) | Uzbekistan Airways, Turkish Airlines | About 5 hours 20 minutes |
| Dubai (DXB) | Uzbekistan Airways | About 4 hours 25 minutes |
| Delhi (DEL) | Uzbekistan Airways, Centrum Air | About 2 hours 50 minutes |
| London Heathrow (LHR) | Uzbekistan Airways | About 7 hours 40 minutes |
| Paris (CDG) | Uzbekistan Airways | About 7 hours 25 minutes |
| Seoul (ICN) | Uzbekistan Airways | About 6 hours 10 minutes |
| Beijing (PKX) | Uzbekistan Airways | About 6 hours 20 minutes |
| Phuket (HKT) | Uzbekistan Airways | About 6 hours 20 minutes |
| Almaty (ALA) | Uzbekistan Airways, Air Astana | About 1 hour 40 minutes |
| Baku (GYD) | Uzbekistan Airways, Azerbaijan Airlines | About 2 hours 55 minutes |
| Bishkek, Tbilisi, Minsk, Riga, Milan, Kazan, St Petersburg, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Urumqi, Kuala Lumpur | Mostly Uzbekistan Airways | Check the current schedule |
Two newer links worth knowing: Etihad flies daily between Abu Dhabi and Tashkent (from 9 August 2026) and codeshares with Uzbekistan Airways onward to eight domestic cities, including Samarkand and Bukhara. Centrum Air began a twice-weekly Hyderabad–Tashkent service in September 2026, its second Indian gateway after Delhi, and Air India codeshares with Uzbekistan Airways on Delhi–Tashkent and Mumbai–Tashkent. Direct flights also connect Tashkent with Jeddah and Medina (Uzbekistan Airways, flynas and Saudia).
No fare is quoted on this page on purpose: fares move with season, day of the week and how early you book, and any number printed here would be out of date quickly. Check live prices for your dates instead.
Flying straight to Samarkand or Bukhara
Both Silk Road cities take direct international flights. These are the ones verified in October 2026 schedules.
If you land in Bukhara or Samarkand and your trip continues to the other cities, the train between Samarkand and Bukhara takes roughly 1 hour 30–45 minutes — usually simpler than another flight.
If there is no direct flight from your city
No nonstop flight from North America to Uzbekistan appeared in the schedules checked in October 2026 — for example, New York to Samarkand has no direct service. The usual one-stop routings are:
When comparing one-stop options, look at total journey time, not just the layover: a short layover in a hub you have never used can be tighter than a longer one in an airport you know.
Fly or take the train?
Domestic flights exist, but the Afrosiyob high-speed trains are often the better choice — city centre to city centre, no airport queues, and views included.
See the 7-day itinerary for how trains and flights fit together, and the trip cost calculator for what the whole trip adds up to.
All routes and times on this page were checked on 29 October 2026 from airline and flight-schedule sources. Schedules and routes change by season — check the airline's current timetable before booking. Fares are deliberately not quoted: check live prices " "for your dates. Banner photo: Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, photo by Adam Harangozó. " "City guides: Tashkent · Samarkand · Bukhara · " "Khiva · Visa guide · 7-day itinerary · " "Hotels · Travel apps.