Samarkand, Uzbekistan – Air Samarkand has announced a new service to Phú Quốc, the largest island in Vietnam, in partnership with the specialist south-east Asian tour operator Crystal Bay Tourism.

The 7 hour 05 minute service will depart from Tashkent International Airport every Friday at 11:55pm, starting on 1st November, and operated by an Air Samarkand A330-300 that offers 36 comfort class seats and 277 in economy. The return flight will depart from Phú Quốc, a popular destination for beach holidays, at 11:00am and arrive back in Tashkent at 4:00pm. All times are local.

This expands on a previous arrangement with the Vietnamese-headquartered package holiday specialist, which saw services connect Samarkand with the coastal resort of Nha Trang in Vietnam during the aviation industry’s summer season (between April-September).

Package tours from Crystal Bay are distributed through most travel agencies in Uzbekistan and online. Crystal Bay Tourism also provides a B2B system through which travel agencies can easily select and book tours for their clients. This system streamlines the booking process and allows agencies to offer high quality tour packages to their clients.

Air Samarkand has also announced that its once-weekly service from Tashkent to Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has now switched from the ‘Garden City’ airport in Al Ain, to the city’s main Zayed International Airport (AUH). Flights on the three hour and 40-minute route use an Air Samarkand Airbus A321 aircraft, which provides 12 business and 182 economy class seats.

In a third development, Air Samarkand has also launched a twice-weekly shuttle service from Samarkand to Tashkent, to support domestic workers and leisure travelers wanting to fly between the two cities in Uzbekistan. Flights depart from Samarkand every Friday and Sunday morning with an Airbus A321, arriving in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent just 50 minutes later. Return flights depart from Tashkent to Samarkand on the same days in the evening.

“The expansion of our scheduled route network and chartering services provides even greater choice, flexibility and convenience for our customers in this region, and to drive inbound tourists,” said Zafar Butaev, CEO of Air Samarkand. “We are excited to add new city destinations and countries to our flight map, which we are certain will be popular among both tourists and business travelers.”

Adiljon Melikuziev, CEO of Crystal Bay Uzbekistan, said: “We are delighted to expand our chartering programme with Air Samarkand, which in such a short space of time has established a reputation for delivering good customer service at an affordable price. This agreement will expand on our choice of holiday destinations for sun seekers to a new holiday hotspot in Vietnam.”

These developments follow Air Samarkand’s expansion of services to Istanbul in September, to three return flights a week. In late July the carrier began flying to Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, to support religious pilgrims. Frequency increased to seven return flights per week by September – with three services departing from Samarkand and one each week from the Uzbek cities of Termez, Fergana, Bukhara and Namangan. Air Samarkand also serves Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, using Airbus A321neo aircraft.

Tickets and package tours with Air Samarkand can be purchased through EasyBooking’s network of agencies, on the website www.easybooking.uz and via www.airsamarkand.com 

About Air Samarkand

Based at Samarkand International Airport, Air Samarkand has been founded to support a major tourism and commercial drive for the historic city of Samarkand. The airline’s primary goal is to provide residents of Samarkand and neighboring regions with the opportunity to travel directly to in-demand destinations, while also enabling overseas visitors to explore Samarkand without the need for intermediate stops.

The airline's fleet of modern, safe, reliable and fuel-efficient Airbus aircraft, include the A330, A321, and A321neo models.

The newly redeveloped Samarkand International Airport is part of a large-scale investment that combines the city’s ancient heritage with modern infrastructure and facilities. Alongside the new airport facilities, a significant investment has gone into a multi-faceted Silk Road Samarkand tourist complex in the city – the first international tourism resort in Central Asia embracing four and five-star hotels.

Located in eastern Uzbekistan, Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in Asia, with its origins said to date back to the seventh or eighth millennium BC. Situated on the famed Silk Road, Samarkand is in the heart of the country’s ancient and medieval tourist attractions, along with Bukhara, Khiva, Shakhrisabz, and the Zaamin National Park.

About Crystal Bay

The Crystal Bay team has over 30 years of experience in the tourism industry. With their own hotels, transportation company, yacht club, and more, they ensure a comfortable and unforgettable vacation.

In Vietnam, tourists are greeted by staff and guides who accompany guests throughout their journey. Crystal Bay Tourism offers its own B2B system, allowing travel agencies to easily select and book tours through their booking system for their clients. Additionally, a 24/7 support service is provided to assist both travel agencies and tourists directly.

The key values of Crystal Bay Tourism are creativity, innovation, trust, and mutual development.

Press Contact
Oleg Ivanov
PR Director
Air Samarkand 
oleg.ivanov@samair.uz
www.airsamarkand.com