New Direct Flight Connection Between Kittilä and Tashkent to Launch for Winter Season
A new direct flight route between Kittilä, Lapland, and Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, is set to begin later this year. The route will be operated by Uzbek airline Centrum Air, with flights scheduled to run once a week from 26 December to 9 January, resulting in a total of three flights during the winter season (Aeroroutes, Ilta-Sanomat).
The service will use an Airbus A320neo aircraft, which has a capacity of approximately 180–186 passengers (Yle, Ilta-Sanomat). However, the flights are not yet visible on Centrum Air’s website, and Finavia, the airport operator, has not received official confirmation of the route’s launch (Yle).
Limited Information on Bookings and Target Market
Satu Pesonen, CEO of Visit Levi, stated that the tourism organisation has limited details about the flights. She noted that the seats are likely divided between a travel agency’s quota and general sale but confirmed that Uzbekistan is not among Levi’s target markets, meaning no specific marketing efforts have been directed toward Uzbek travellers (Yle).
Unique Route with Potential Geopolitical Considerations
Kittilä will be the only Nordic destination with a direct flight connection from Uzbekistan, according to the Flightconnections website. The route is unusual as it is expected to pass through Russian airspace (Yle).
While the connection could facilitate travel for Russian citizens, Jyrki Terva, Head of the Russia and Central Asia Unit at the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, emphasised that Finland does not grant tourist visas to Russian nationals. However, he confirmed that Finland maintains normal political and economic relations with Uzbekistan, including in tourism. Uzbek citizens travelling to Finland will still require a Schengen visa (Yle).
