Uzbekistan Airways is preparing to resume regular flights with Malaysia, the air carrier said in a statement.

The resumption of Tashkent-Kuala Lumpur-Tashkent regular flights is scheduled for November.

“Uzbekistan is one of the important emerging markets for the Malaysian tourism industry,” said Iskandar Mirza bin Muhammad Yusuf, deputy director general of the Malaysian Tourism Agency, at a briefing on September 14. In 2019, the country received 12,000 Uzbek tourists.

Until 2020, Uzbekistan Airways flew to Kuala Lumpur twice a week, but with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, flights had to be stopped. The Malaysian side noted the support for the restart of flights by the tourism community and the high demand from the Uzbek people.

Minister of Transport Ilhom Mahkamov also noted the importance of restoring popular flight destinations. Communication between Tashkent and Kuala Lumpur will serve the bilateral development of tourism, he said.