Central Asia’s air links with Europe are changing quickly, and one of the most dynamic players in this shift is Uzbekistan’s private carrier Qanot Sharq. Once a small regional operator, the Tashkent based airline is now investing in new long range aircraft, adding fresh routes to key European hubs and positioning itself as a serious connector between Central Asia, Europe and beyond. For travelers, this means more choice, new one stop options and a gradually improving experience when flying between these regions.
A Young Private Airline With Big International Ambitions
Qanot Sharq, whose name translates as “Wings of the East,” is notable for being Uzbekistan’s first privately owned passenger airline. It launched passenger operations in 2021, initially focusing on routes from Tashkent to nearby international destinations and major regional centers. While state owned Uzbekistan Airways has long dominated the country’s skies, Qanot Sharq has moved quickly to carve out its own space in both the domestic and international markets.
The airline operates an all Airbus fleet that already includes A320 and A321neo aircraft, along with widebody A330 200 jets used on higher demand international routes. This combination gives Qanot Sharq the flexibility to serve everything from short hops across Central Asia to medium haul routes into Europe and the Middle East. Passenger numbers on key routes, such as services between Uzbekistan and Russia, have grown steadily as the airline has expanded its schedule.
From the start, Qanot Sharq’s management has framed the airline as a growth and innovation story rather than a niche operator. That approach is now becoming more visible as the carrier turns its attention to longer range flying, including deeper penetration into Western Europe and plans for transatlantic services that could link Central Asia with North America via European gateways.
New Aircraft Orders That Unlock Longer Routes
The biggest driver of Qanot Sharq’s new opportunities between Central Asia and Europe is its investment in advanced narrowbody aircraft, specifically the Airbus A321neo family. In 2025 the airline concluded a long term lease agreement with Air Lease Corporation covering five additional A321neo aircraft, including three A321XLRs and two A321LRs scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027.
The A321LR and A321XLR have significantly longer range than standard A321 models while keeping the economics of a single aisle jet. The XLR, in particular, is designed for missions of up to roughly eight to nine hours, enabling nonstop connections that were previously the preserve of widebody aircraft. By becoming the first airline in Central Asia to commit to the A321XLR, Qanot Sharq is signaling a clear intent to open new long thin routes from Uzbekistan into Europe and potentially onward to other continents.
For passengers, these new aircraft should translate into more point to point service and the possibility of avoiding hub transfers that add time and complexity to a journey. The A321neo family also brings lower fuel burn and reduced emissions compared with older aircraft types, which can support more competitive fares and a slightly smaller environmental footprint for those trips between Europe and Central Asia.
London, Milan, Frankfurt and Beyond: Growing the European Network
Qanot Sharq’s route map into Europe has evolved quickly, with several recent announcements directly affecting travelers who want more options between the European Union, the United Kingdom and Central Asia. The airline already serves cities such as Budapest, Milan and Prague, creating a basic framework of European gateways connected to Tashkent and other Uzbek cities.
One of the most significant milestones came in December 2025, when Qanot Sharq launched regular flights between Tashkent and London. Operating into London Gatwick, the airline secured approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority to run twice weekly services, complementing existing flights operated by the national carrier. For the first time, travelers from Uzbekistan and neighboring Central Asian states had an additional carrier and airport option for nonstop travel to the United Kingdom, improving schedule choice and potentially price competition on this important corridor.
The airline has also been expanding in Italy. In 2025, Qanot Sharq introduced direct flights from Tashkent to Milan, a major business, fashion and tourism destination. These services sit alongside seasonal operations to other Italian cities operated by different carriers, positioning Qanot Sharq as part of a broader push to link Uzbekistan with the Italian market. Milan’s strong connectivity within Europe also means travelers from Central Asia can connect onward to secondary European destinations with relative ease.
Looking ahead, Qanot Sharq has opened reservations for a new route from Tashkent to Frankfurt, scheduled to begin at the end of March 2026. The twice weekly service using an A321 will plug Tashkent directly into one of Europe’s most important aviation hubs. For passengers in Central Asia, Frankfurt offers connections across Germany, the wider Schengen area and long haul links across the Atlantic and to Africa, effectively multiplying the reach of Qanot Sharq’s network.
How New Routes Change Options for Central Asian Travelers
For many years, travelers from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and other Central Asian states heading to Europe have relied on a limited set of options. These often involved transiting through Moscow, Istanbul, Dubai or a handful of other large hubs. While those connections remain important, the expansion of Qanot Sharq’s European network is starting to multiply the available paths for reaching destinations in Western and Central Europe.
By introducing nonstop services such as Tashkent to London, Milan, Budapest, Prague and soon Frankfurt, Qanot Sharq is effectively pushing the European gateway closer to the region’s travelers. A passenger flying from a secondary city in Uzbekistan can connect in Tashkent to a Qanot Sharq flight and arrive directly in a European hub, where an onward short haul connection completes the journey. In some cases, this may reduce overall travel time compared with routings that involve double connections through several major hubs.
These changes are also meaningful for travelers going in the opposite direction. Business visitors, tourists and members of the Central Asian diaspora based in Europe now have a growing number of choices for flying to Uzbekistan and, by extension, to neighboring states via onward links. As Qanot Sharq adds more frequencies and potentially aligns its schedule with rail or coach connections inside Europe, the convenience of using Tashkent as an entry point to Central Asia is likely to improve further.
Fleet Upgrades and What They Mean Onboard
Qanot Sharq’s evolving role as a bridge between Central Asia and Europe is closely tied to the modernization of its fleet. The arrival of Airbus A330 200 aircraft in 2024, leased from partner airlines, has allowed the carrier to increase capacity and comfort on popular international routes. Configured with several hundred seats, these widebodies are deployed on higher demand flights to destinations such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and are expected to support future growth to Asian and European markets.
Inside the cabin, the airline is working to position its product as competitive for medium and long haul travel. The A330s typically offer both an economy and a more spacious premium cabin, reflecting the needs of business travelers and higher spending leisure passengers on routes that can stretch to six or seven hours. While exact layouts can vary by airframe, travelers can generally expect seatback entertainment, in seat power on newer aircraft and cabin interiors designed to meet contemporary expectations rather than the basic standards of earlier generation fleets.
The forthcoming A321LR and A321XLR aircraft will be especially important for journeys between Central Asia and Europe. These narrowbody jets are likely to feature updated interiors, modern lighting and improved noise levels compared with older types. Because they are smaller than widebodies, they can also support more frequent flights on certain routes, which could eventually give travelers greater flexibility in terms of departure days and times.
Ticketing, Partnerships and Connectivity Beyond Tashkent
New routes alone do not guarantee a smooth journey. Qanot Sharq has been working on the back end of air travel as well, entering ticketing and interline agreements that help integrate its services into the global distribution system used by travel agents and online booking platforms. A key development in this area has been the airline’s interline agreement with Hahn Air, which allows travel agencies worldwide to issue Qanot Sharq flights using standard reservation processes.
For passengers, this kind of behind the scenes partnership means it becomes easier to book an itinerary that combines Qanot Sharq flights with other airlines on a single ticket. A traveler, for example, might fly from a regional European city to a Qanot Sharq gateway such as Budapest, Milan or London on one carrier and then connect onto a Qanot Sharq service to Tashkent or another Central Asian city, all under one booking reference.
As the airline’s European footprint grows, more of these through itineraries are likely to appear in global reservation systems. Combined with the new aircraft and additional routes, these ticketing developments are a core part of how Qanot Sharq is turning itself from a local player into a carrier that can realistically compete for passengers traveling between Europe and Central Asia.
Looking Further West: Transatlantic Hopes and Hub Strategies
While the current headline is about connecting Central Asia with Europe, Qanot Sharq’s ambitions stretch beyond the continent. The airline has requested permission from United States regulators to operate charter services between Tashkent and New York, in some cases using Budapest as an intermediate point. If approved and launched as planned, these flights would make Qanot Sharq one of the key private connectors between Central Asia and North America.
From the perspective of European travelers, this transatlantic dimension matters for two reasons. First, it underscores the likelihood that Qanot Sharq will develop Budapest and potentially other European cities as strategic hubs where passengers can transfer between its Central Asian flights and long haul services. Second, it adds an extra layer of connectivity for those who may want to travel from Europe to Central Asia and onward to the United States or vice versa, with a single carrier providing large parts of the journey.
The planned introduction of A321XLR aircraft aligns well with this emerging strategy. These long range narrowbodies could be used either on deeper European routes from Tashkent or, in future, on transatlantic sectors from a European hub. That flexibility gives Qanot Sharq room to adjust its network as demand patterns become clearer, while still maintaining a strong focus on improving travel links between Central Asia and Europe.
What Travelers Should Watch in the Next Two Years
For anyone planning to fly between Central Asia and Europe in 2026 and 2027, Qanot Sharq will be an airline worth watching closely. Several of its most significant changes are scheduled for this period, including the delivery of its new A321LR and A321XLR aircraft and the roll out of the Tashkent to Frankfurt route at the start of the 2026 summer season. If additional European destinations such as Paris, Warsaw or Madrid are confirmed, the network of nonstop options from Uzbekistan into the European Union will broaden further.
Travelers should pay particular attention to how frequencies evolve on existing routes like London and Milan, since increases in weekly services can dramatically improve flexibility and help smooth out pricing. Schedule adjustments in response to demand, as well as any new codeshare or interline agreements with European carriers, could also create more seamless one stop journeys from secondary cities on both sides of the route map.
Finally, as competition intensifies on key corridors, passengers may benefit from more competitive fares and improved onboard offerings, especially in premium cabins. Whether you are a member of the Central Asian diaspora returning home for a visit, a business traveler exploring new markets or a leisure traveler curious about the Silk Road region, the rise of Qanot Sharq is likely to give you more ways to get there and back with fewer compromises on timing, comfort or cost.