Etihad Airways has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan to strengthen ties between the airline and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The agreement was signed during the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 in Dubai.

Under the MoC, the two organisations will promote tourism to Uzbekistan through Etihad’s global network, collaborating on marketing, promotional activities and trade initiatives aimed at raising the profile of the Central Asian country among the airline’s international customers.

The agreement was signed by Aysha Saeed Al Kaabi, Vice President, Commercial Enablement, Etihad Airways, and Abdulaziz Akkulov, Chairman of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan.
Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, Antonoaldo Neves, said the partnership would support the airline’s growing presence in Uzbekistan and encourage leisure travel to the country.
“Uzbekistan is one of the most exciting new markets in our network, demonstrated by the launch of our daily service to Tashkent this year, and further reinforced by this Memorandum of Cooperation with the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan to drive leisure travel,” Neves said.

He added that Etihad’s global network, alongside its growing codeshare partnership with Uzbekistan Airways, would make it easier for travellers to visit destinations including Samarkand and Bukhara.Chairman of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Akkulov, said the country’s tourism industry had continued to record steady growth. According to him, 9.1 million foreign tourists visited Uzbekistan between January and August 2026, while tourism service exports reached $4.6 billion.

“Our priority is not only to sustain this growth, but also to expand the reach of inbound tourism, improve access to destinations across the country, and strengthen Uzbekistan’s presence in international tourism markets,” Akkulov said. He said the memorandum would support efforts to attract more international visitors and expand access to destinations across Uzbekistan.
The partnership builds on Etihad’s expanding operations in Uzbekistan. The airline launched its first route to the country on August 9, 2026, with a daily non-stop Airbus A320 service between Abu Dhabi and Tashkent.

The route provides a new gateway to Central Asia and complements a codeshare agreement with Uzbekistan Airways that took effect on May 15, 2026. The codeshare arrangement gives Etihad passengers single-ticket access to eight additional destinations in Uzbekistan — Samarkand, Bukhara, Urgench, Nukus, Termez, Fergana, Namangan and Andijan — as well as other routes on the Uzbek carrier’s network.