On November 10, 2026, the cargo planning of Navoi Airport once again entered the public eye. For a country surrounded by land, railways and highways have long been the mainstay of external logistics, and Uzbekistan is trying to turn air freight into a new incremental channel. The discussion on airport cargo terminals, ground services, and customs clearance facilities has shifted from planning texts to project integration.

Inland countries fill logistics gaps

The growth curve of Uzbekistan's air cargo in recent years has been quite steep. From 2019 to 2024, the country's air cargo volume increased by 182%; The national airport cargo volume is expected to reach approximately 98000 tons in 2025, with a year-on-year increase of 33% in the first half of 2026. Faced with the continuously increasing transportation demand, the Ukrainian side proposes to increase the annual air cargo volume in the country to 300000 tons by 2036. Navoi International Airport is placed in a critical position, with plans to achieve an annual cargo volume of 45000 tons by 2030. Its location can connect China, Europe, and neighboring countries, and the local area hopes to gradually transform the airport from a regular transportation node into a regional freight transit center.

Navoi Airport expands cargo capacity

The expansion focus of Navoi Airport is not only on the runway and apron, but also on cargo storage, ground operations, and customs clearance facilities. The Ukrainian side hopes to improve supporting facilities to enable the airport to have the conditions to undertake regional transit business. For Chinese export enterprises, this means that in the future, when shipping to Central Asian and European markets, in addition to railways and highways, there will be an additional option for air or multimodal transportation. Electronic products, precision equipment, high-value goods, and high time sensitive goods can be evaluated for air or rail road air combination solutions based on delivery requirements. Keywords: Central Asia News Network, Aviation Hub, Logistics, Uzbekistan

Chinese enterprises test the waters of freight flights

In September 2026, Navoi International Airport signed a strategic alliance agreement with Hong Kong company Harvest Epoch Strategic Investment Limited; In October 2026, both parties will further determine the cooperation roadmap and promote project implementation. The cooperation involves supporting services such as airport ground operations, aviation fuel, storage facilities, and customs clearance. The first batch of test cargo flights is scheduled to start in December 2026. When enterprises actually ship goods, they need to first confirm whether the goods are suitable for air transportation. The transportation requirements for charged products, liquids, powders, and magnetic goods are different; Further verify the actual flight routes and transit arrangements, and do not assume that there are stable direct flights just because the airport has cargo capacity; Finally, calculate the overall cost, including airport operation fees, fuel surcharges, security fees, destination port fees, customs clearance, and final delivery, and compare the overall economy of air freight and railway road intermodal transportation.Editor/Gao Xue