Today in Astana, within the framework of the Central Asia – China (C5+1) initiative, the second conference of the working group on cooperation in the field of civil aviation began its work.
The event is attended by the heads of aviation authorities of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the People's Republic of China, representatives of civil aviation agencies and air navigation services.
The Chairperson of the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan Saltanat Tompieva, in her keynote speech reported  about the growing indicators of the civil aviation industry in the country: last year, domestic airports served 29.7 million passengers, which shows a 14% increase, international air traffic is systematically expanding - this year 36 new air routes have been opened, 7 new foreign airlines are entering the transportation market.
"The conference will help strengthen partnerships between the Central Asian countries and China, coordinating new initiatives to expand air traffic, attract investment and technology to the region’s aviation industry, and enhance Kazakhstan’s role as a regional aviation hub.
Holding this meeting in Astana is an important step in developing international cooperation in civil aviation and will strengthen Central Asia's position on the global aviation map," S. Tompieva emphasized in speech.
According to her, bilateral negotiations with the aviation authorities of China and Uzbekistan will be held on August 14.
The head of China’s aviation authority, Bai Wenli added: "Over the past year, we’ve achieved remarkable results in aviation connectivity - China now has direct flights to all five Central Asian capitals, with weekly scheduled passenger flights increasing to 151, nearly double the number in 2024 and triple that of 2019. The air traffic right arrangements with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan have been further expanded, creating more favorable conditions for airline operations. Recently, China Southern Airlines signed code-share agreements with Air Astana and Uzbekistan Airways, fostering win-win commercial cooperation that will enhance regional route networks".
During the conference, the head of the Air Transport Department of the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan, Jamoliddin Nazarov also said: “at the conference, we plan to reach an agreement with our Kazakh colleagues on increasing frequencies between the capitals and major cities of our countries, as well as adding additional points to further expand the geography of flights between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan”.
The heads of the aviation authorities of Kyrgyzstan - Kanat Tologonov, and Tajikistan - Zarifjon Zaripov are the key participants and speakers of the conference too.
The conference agenda encompassed key issues of cooperation in the field of flight safety, development of transport and transit integration, advanced training of aviation specialists, expansion of the international route network between China and Central Asian countries, implementation of new technologies, development of environmentally sustainable aviation, as well as issues of cooperation between the countries participating in the Eurasian Civil Aviation Conference (EACAC), created on the initiative of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2024 for the consolidated position of Central Asian states in the framework of work with such global industry institutions as ICAO, the European Commission, IATA and other international organizations.
Reference: The first conference of the C5+1 (Central Asia-China) Civil Aviation Cooperation Working Group was held in Xi'an, China, from 17 to 21 June 2024, which established a mechanism for civil aviation cooperation between China and Central Asia (C5+1) and agreed to hold an annual conference of the working group to review progress and plan future cooperation.