On May 4, 2025, another Uzbek airline, «Air Samarkand», successfully operated its inaugural flight between the cities of Samarkand and Tel Aviv.

«Air Samarkand» has become the fourth Uzbek airline to offer direct flights to Israel. Previously, «Uzbekistan Airways», «Qanot Sharq», and «Centrum Air» had already established operations on this route.

A special welcoming ceremony was held at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv in honor of this inaugural flight. The event featured remarks from the Israeli representative of «Air Samarkand», as well as the founder of the travel company «Asia Travel», Nissan Mushaev.

In his speech, he stated: “This new route will not only provide greater convenience for travelers but also contribute to strengthening bilateral ties across various sectors. Samarkand is now closer to Israel”.

Currently, «Air Samarkand» will operate this route once a week—on Sundays. However, due to increasing demand, the airline plans to introduce an additional weekly flight every Thursday starting from July 10, 2025.

The inaugural ceremony and launch of Air Samarkand’s new service received coverage from several Israeli media outlets. Local sources highlighted the event as a significant step toward expanding tourism, economic cooperation, and people-to-people ties between Uzbekistan and Israel.