Most Tajikistanis cannot afford air tickets offered by Tajik air carriers.  Many Tajik students studying abroad can be late because of high prices for air tickets. 

Thus, Mariam Kholova from the Roudaki district says her son is studying in Moscow.  According to her, they do not have enough money to buy the air ticket, which now costs 4,000 somoni (equivalent to some 420 USD).

Meanwhile, a ticket for the Tashkent (Uzbekistan)-Moscow flight costs 250 USD and a ticket for the Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)-Moscow flight costs 220 USD.     

Alisher Rahmatov from the northern city of Isfara says his nephew entered the university in Beijing.

A ticket for the transfer flight from Dushanbe to Beijing costs 6,000 somoni (equivalent to some 650 USD).  Meanwhile, the direct flight from the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, to Beijing costs 450 USD,  

Another Asia-Plus interlocutor, Shuhrat Nasimov from Dushanbe, says he wanted to buy air ticket for his son to Ukraine.

“When we came to the air ticket office, cashier said the ticket costs 4,000 somoni.  Three hours passed while we were looking for 4,000 somoni.  When we came to the airticket office again, the ticket price jumped to 4,850 somoni.  We had to borrow 1,000 somoni from friends,” Nasimov said. 

Therefore, people prefer to fly in transit.  

Tajik air carriers attribute high prices for air tickets to high prices of jet fuel in the country.

As far as prices for air tickets to the Russian Federation are concerned, the introduction of a new rate is connected with a seasonal decrease in passenger traffic from Dushanbe to Russia and seasonal increase in passenger traffic from Russia to Dushanbe.  Tajik labor migrants staying in the Russian Federation usually return home in the autumn, and therefore the demand for tickets on the routes from Russian cities to Dushanbe increases during this season.  In order to avoid losses and attract passengers Tajik air companies lower prices of air tickets on the flights to Russia in late summer and autumn.