Direct flights between Samarkand and Dushanbe have officially resumed, with the inaugural flight taking off on July 20, Tajikistan’s state-run news agency Khovar reports, citing the Civil Aviation Agency under the Government of Tajikistan.

The flights are operated by Uzbekistan-based airline Centrum Air and will run twice weekly—on Thursdays and Sundays.

Ticket prices start at 608,000 Uzbek soums (approximately 460 Tajik somonis), and can be purchased via the airline’s website at centrum-air.com or at ticket offices.

Centrum Air also launched a new route between Tashkent and Dushanbe on July 19.  These flights will be available on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with ticket prices beginning at 653,000 soums.

This development comes in the wake of Tajikistan's recent implementation of an “Open Skies” policy across its international airports in Dushanbe, Khujand, Kulob, and Bokhtar.  The new regulation, signed by President Emomali Rahmon on June 12, 2025, removes previous restrictions that required parity between domestic and foreign airlines—an arrangement that had previously limited the number of flights by foreign carriers.

Under the new policy, there are no longer any constraints on flight frequency, seat capacity, aircraft size, or fare pricing.  The initiative aims to boost competition, improve service quality, and make air travel more accessible to passengers.

Among the first international carriers to expand its presence in Tajikistan is Turkish Airlines, which has increased its weekly flights between Istanbul and Dushanbe from three to five. Additional flights have been added on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Centrum Air is a private airline specializing in providing passenger and cargo transportation created on January 18, 2023 as part of government initiatives aimed at improving the quality of air travel for residents of Uzbekistan.  The airline actively operates charter and scheduled flights to domestic and foreign destinations.

As of April 2025, Centrum Air has reportedly served the following destinations Azerbaijan, China, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Romania, Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkiye, the UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.    

As of May 2025, Centrum Air reportedly operates an all-Airbus fleet composed of the following aircraft: Airbus A320-200; Airbus A320neo; Airbus A321neo; and Airbus A330-300.