DUSAHNBE, September 1, Asia-Plus -- A ceremonial meeting dedicated to a professional holiday of Tajik aviators, which is marked on September 3, was held in Dushanbe on September 1. 

During the meeting presents were given to the best employees of Tajik State Air Company “Tojikiston”. 

On August 30, 1994, Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov passed an edict announcing September 3 a Day of Tajik Aviators.  Since that time, this holiday has been marked annually.  

ABOUT: The first flight to Dushanbe was from Bukhara in 1924.  A plane Junkers F-13 operated by pilots Rashid-bek Ahriyev and Pyotr Komarov landed in Dushanbe.  Residents of Tajikistan saw a plane two years before they saw a car and five years before they saw a train.  

Established in 1930 Tajik air service of the Central Asian airlines began operating flights to Gorno Badakhshan.  A year later, a first-class airport was constructed in Dushanbe and regular flights to Kulob, Gharm, Panj, and Danghara were launched.   In 1959, the Leninabad air enterprise was established.   In the Nineties, Tajik national air carrier began its flights with TU-154Ms to far abroad countries.  The airline operates to Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Tehran, Mashhad (Iran) and Urumqi (China).  The Tajik national air carrier also has traffic rights to Istanbul, Munich and New Delhi.  In 2004, Tajik State Air Company “Tojikiston” was renamed State Unitary Air Enterprise “Tojikiston”.