Southern India is getting a new doorway to Central Asia. From September 28, Uzbekistan's private carrier Centrum Air will fly direct between Hyderabad and Tashkent twice a week — out of Hyderabad on Mondays and Thursdays, back from the Uzbek capital on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Uzbekistan's Ambassador to India, Sardor Mirzayusupovich Rustambaev, pitched the route as an "air bridge" between his country and south India, unveiled soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit boosted bilateral ties. But this isn't just a diplomatic gesture with a boarding pass attached. Centrum Air is treating Hyderabad as a gathering point for the whole region, urging travel agents in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala to route their Uzbekistan-bound passengers through the city.
Even better for travellers: Tashkent is being positioned as a transit hub, not just a destination. The airline's network offers onward connections across Central Asia and beyond — think Almaty, Bishkek, Baku, Tbilisi and even Frankfurt. For anyone in south India who has previously stitched together a multi-leg trip via Delhi or the Gulf to reach the Silk Road cities, a single direct hop changes the maths considerably.
There's a hefty business story here too. Hyderabad's pharma and healthcare sectors are big players in the corridor — Indian medical products make up roughly half of Uzbekistan's pharmaceutical market, and an estimated 30-40% of that Indian supply comes from Hyderabad. The route is also expected to bring more Uzbek patients to the city for medical treatment, while Uzbekistan courts Indian IT firms, start-ups and universities. Indian students, particularly those eyeing medicine and engineering degrees in Uzbekistan, are another growing passenger group.
For holidaymakers, the appeal is straightforward. Uzbekistan offers some of Central Asia's most striking sights — Samarkand's Registan, Bukhara's old town and Khiva's walled city are all reachable from Tashkent by fast train or short flight. Until now, getting there from Hyderabad or nearby cities meant at least one connection, often two. A direct flight trims hours off the trip and, with onward connections to Baku and Tbilisi, opens up easy multi-country Caucasus and Central Asia itineraries from a southern Indian departure point.
Fares and schedules beyond the initial twice-weekly pattern haven't been detailed yet, but if the route gains traction, expect competition and capacity to follow. Watch this one if Central Asia is on your list.
