Fadillah Calls On AirAsia X To Consider Adding Samarkand To Uzbekistan Route

From Siti Radziah Hamzah

TASHKENT, June 24 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has called upon AirAsia X to consider adding Samarkand to its flight routes, amid an increased interest in visiting holy sites in the region.   

He said the move would be part of Malaysia's plan to promote people-to-people ties through tourism, cultural exchange, leveraging the rich cultural heritage of both countries and historical sites, as well as joint initiatives in education and human capital development. 

"When I was in Samarkand, there was a request by the Governor and Deputy Governor of Samarkand to have at least one direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Samarkand, of which I will bring back to AirAsia X, and hopefully we can have a direct flight from Samarkand, particularly for those who want to go for Umrah," he said in his opening remarks at the Malaysia-Uzbekistan Business Forum 2025 here today. 

The one-day forum was jointly organised by Malaysia-Uzbekistan Business Alliance (MUBA) and Uzbekistan’s Investment, Industry and Trade Ministry.  

Fadillah was on his last day of an official working visit to Uzbekistan before resuming his travel to Russia until June 28. 

On Monday (June 23), AirAsia X said it was commencing flights to Tashkent, Uzbekistan thrice weekly effective Oct 15, 2025.

The new route was introduced following AirAsia X’s entry into the region with Almaty, Kazakhstan in early 2024. 

-- BERNAMA