DUSHANBE, January 21, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- The government will always hold the control stock in open joint-stock company (OJSC) Tajik Air, the Tajik Air deputy director general Valery Sharipov remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on January 20.

“At present the government will assume the 100% ownership interest in the company, but with the lapse of time, the government may put up part of shares for sale,” said Sharipov, “However, the control stock in Tajik Air will always belong to the government.”

According to him, reorganization of Tajik Air into open joint-stock company has had no effect on the company’s activities.

As it had been reported earlier, the state unitary enterprise, Tajik Air, was reorganized into open joint-tock company last autumn and the board of the State Committee for Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest) endorsed the decision on the founding of OJSC Tajik Air in late November 20110.  Reorganization of Tajik Air into open joint-stock company was the last stage of restructuring of the Tajik national air carrier.

We will recall that until 2008, Tajik Air had an absolute monopoly in Tajikistan’s air transport, owning all planes, airports, and airport and flight services.  As a result of restructuring, Tajik Air was split up into several separate companies (state unitary enterprises): Tajik Air; Dushanbe International Airport, Khujand International Airport; Kulob International Airport; Qurghon Teppa International Airport, Fuel Supply Company, Tajikaeronavigatsiya (air navigation); and In-flight Meals.

All these state enterprises, except Tajikaeronavigatsiya, should also be reorganized into open joint-tock companies.