Uzbekistan Airways (HY, Tashkent Yuzhny) is on course to join Skyteam later this year having already undergone an 18-month long operational audit. In an interview with Air Transport World, European regional manager Timur Kerimov, said the process of accession to the alliance had proven rigorous but could not give an exact date as to when the process would end.
The Uzbek carrier's application is being sponsored by Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon) and, if successful, could lead to it becoming the first Central Asian nation carrier to join the global alliance.
As reported by ch-aviation in January, Kazakh carrier Air Astana (KC, Astana) has also been courted by Skyteam's rivals Star Alliance and Oneworld in a bid to secure a foothold in the growing Central Asian/ex-CIS market.
Ch-Aviation
The Uzbek carrier's application is being sponsored by Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon) and, if successful, could lead to it becoming the first Central Asian nation carrier to join the global alliance.
As reported by ch-aviation in January, Kazakh carrier Air Astana (KC, Astana) has also been courted by Skyteam's rivals Star Alliance and Oneworld in a bid to secure a foothold in the growing Central Asian/ex-CIS market.
Ch-Aviation