Rising demand for air cargo and expanding international aviation networks are opening up new trade opportunities for Central Asia and the South Caucasus, as countries invest in airports and strengthen their roles in global supply chains.
The growing importance of air freight is a key focus at the 22nd International Exhibition of Transport and Logistics – TransLogistica Uzbekistan 2026, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 10 to 12 November.
Air freight plays a vital role in international trade, particularly in transporting high-value, time-sensitive and perishable goods. Although it accounts for less than one per cent of global trade by volume, it carries around 35 per cent of its value.
More than $8 trillion worth of goods are transported by air each year, with the global air cargo market forecast to grow from around $177 billion in 2025 to more than $273 billion by 2032.
Air connectivity is becoming increasingly important as Central Asia and the South Caucasus seek to strengthen their positions along international trade routes.
Azerbaijan and Georgia play key roles in connecting the Caspian and Black Sea regions, complementing the wider Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor.
Air freight links between Central Asia and the Baltic region are also expanding. Riga has emerged as a key hub for cargo shipments to Uzbekistan, with direct flights operated by Uzbekistan Airways.
Janis Kasalis, President of the Latvian Stevedoring Company Association, told AnewZ that existing cooperation supports the transport of a range of goods, including livestock from the Baltic states to Uzbekistan.
He said disruptions to traditional land transport routes have made air freight increasingly important, particularly for time-sensitive shipments.
Kasalis also highlighted the importance of maintaining cargo flows in both directions, with e-commerce shipments travelling one way and export deliveries supporting traffic in the other.
Uzbekistan is stepping up efforts to expand its presence in global air freight markets. The country’s airports handled approximately 98,100 tonnes of cargo and mail in 2025. During the first nine months of 2026, volumes reached 84,800 tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 27 per cent.
Speaking to AnewZ, Shakhzod Sadikov, Marketing Tariff Specialist at Uzbekistan Airways, said the airline works with logistics companies shipping goods across Europe, the Americas and Asia, including China and Japan.
Sadikov said speed and service quality give air freight a significant advantage over sea transport, particularly on long-distance routes.
He cited shipments to New York as an example, noting that air transport can significantly reduce delivery times compared with shipping by sea.
Uzbekistan Airways is also exploring opportunities to expand its international cargo network, with Warsaw among the destinations under consideration.
Growing demand for air freight is driving major investment in airport capacity and logistics infrastructure across the region.
Among the largest developments is Uzbekistan’s New Tashkent International Airport, a project being delivered under a 35-year concession involving Uzbekistan Airports, Saudi Arabia’s Vision Invest, Japan’s Sojitz Corporation and South Korea’s Incheon International Airport Corporation.
The first phase is expected to cost around $2.5 billion. Scheduled to open by the end of 2030, the airport will initially have the capacity to handle up to 20 million passengers and approximately 300,000 tonnes of cargo annually.
Elsewhere, Kazakhstan is planning a $600 million expansion of Aktau International Airport. The project includes a new cargo facility expected to boost annual handling capacity to between 80,000 and 100,000 tonnes.
In Azerbaijan, the Silk Way Cargo Village project in the Alat Free Economic Zone aims to create an integrated logistics hub centred on a fully automated 30,000-square-metre cargo terminal.
Scheduled for completion in 2026, the facility will bring together air, rail and road transport, supported by warehousing, freight consolidation and customs services.
As global trade routes evolve, stronger cooperation between airlines, airports and logistics operators will be crucial to attracting more international cargo traffic.
Expanding regular air services, securing shipments in both directions and improving connections with rail and road networks could help Central Asia and the South Caucasus establish themselves as increasingly competitive players in global logistics.
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Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 11 November. Today, we cover Russia-Ukraine peace talks, political tensions in Washington, strikes in Spain, espionage allegations involving Nvidia's CEO, and climate negotiations at COP31 in Türkiye.
Four million workers across Spain joined a general strike on Wednesday over the country’s deepening housing crisis, unions said, bringing disruption to factories, ports, shops and public transport just weeks before a snap general election.
European leaders gathered in Dublin on Thursday, 12 November, for the ninth European Political Community (EPC) summit, with security, defence, energy cooperation and economic resilience topping the agenda. Azerbaijan’s role in regional peace and connectivity was also in focus.
Iran has unveiled a new underground missile and drone base, warning that it will respond forcefully to any attack, as tensions persist with the U.S. and oil tankers continue to be struck by naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Kazakhstan’s security service has arrested Nurlan Zhakupov, CEO of Samruk-Kazyna, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, on suspicion of corruption. Yelzhas Otynshiyev, Chairman of KTZ, Kazakhstan’s national railway firm has also been detained.
An Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza has killed at least six people, including a surgeon, and wounded 20 others, according to Gaza’s civil defence service.
The competitiveness of international trade depends on how efficiently goods move across borders. These issues are in focus at the 22nd International Exhibition of Transport and Logistics – TransLogistica Uzbekistan 2026, taking place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 10 to 12 November.
Armenia has been stripped of its voting rights in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) over unpaid membership fees, in another sign of the deteriorating relationship between Yerevan and Moscow.
Pakistan is pushing for urgent global action and greater climate funding as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attends COP31 in Türkiye, warning that melting glaciers, devastating floods and extreme heat are putting millions of lives and livelihoods at risk.
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