Uzbekistan’s Centrum Air to Launch Direct Tashkent-Karachi Flights in September
Uzbekistan’s national carrier Centrum Air is set to launch direct flights between Tashkent and Karachi starting September 3, marking a fresh boost to air connectivity between Uzbekistan and Pakistan and offering travellers a new direct route between the two countries.
The airline will operate two weekly flights on this route using Airbus A320 aircraft, a widely used narrow-body aircraft well suited to the roughly three-and-a-half-hour flight time between the two cities.
The Flight Schedule Breakdown
According to the announced schedule, flight C6565 will operate on Thursdays, departing Tashkent at 12:50 AM and arriving in Karachi at 4:20 AM, a flight time of 3 hours and 30 minutes. On Saturdays, the same flight number will follow a slightly different timing, departing Tashkent at 11:20 PM and landing in Karachi at 2:35 AM, completing the journey in 3 hours and 15 minutes.
For the return leg, flight C6566 will depart Karachi every Thursday at 5:20 AM, arriving in Tashkent at 8:20 AM after a 3-hour flight. The Sunday return service will depart Karachi slightly earlier, at 3:35 AM, reaching Tashkent at 6:45 AM after a flight duration of 3 hours and 10 minutes.
A New Option for Travellers and Communities
The launch of this new route is expected to improve travel options considerably for tourists, business travellers, and members of both the Uzbek and Pakistani communities who currently rely on indirect routings or connecting flights through other regional hubs to travel between the two countries. Direct flights typically translate into shorter overall travel times, lower fares in many cases, and a more convenient experience overall, particularly for business travellers who need to manage tight schedules.
Why This Route Matters
Direct air connectivity between Central Asian countries and Pakistan has historically been fairly limited, with many travellers needing to route through hubs in the Gulf, Turkey, or elsewhere to reach destinations in Central Asia. A direct Tashkent-Karachi service addresses that gap specifically for one of the more significant city pairs in the region, given that Karachi serves as Pakistan’s largest city and primary commercial hub, while Tashkent functions as Uzbekistan’s capital and largest urban centre.
Beyond the practical travel benefits, new international air routes like this one often carry broader economic significance too. Improved air connectivity tends to support growth in bilateral trade, tourism, and business exchange between the countries involved, since more convenient travel options generally translate into more frequent business trips, expanded trade delegations, and increased interest from tourists exploring destinations that were previously harder to reach directly.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Regional Connectivity Growth
This new route also reflects a broader trend of expanding air links between Pakistan and Central Asian nations in recent years, as countries in the region look to strengthen economic and cultural ties beyond their traditional trading partners. For Uzbekistan specifically, expanding air connectivity to South Asian markets like Pakistan offers a way to tap into new tourism and business travel demand, while for Pakistan, additional direct routes to Central Asia open up new avenues for trade, education, and cultural exchange with a region that shares historical and cultural links but has often been underserved by direct transportation options.
What This Means Going Forward
With the new service set to begin operations on September 3, travellers planning trips between Tashkent and Karachi will soon have a direct, twice-weekly option to choose from rather than relying on connecting itineraries through third countries. Whether Centrum Air eventually expands frequency on this route, or extends similar direct services to other Pakistani cities, will likely depend on how strong demand proves to be once the route becomes operational. For now, though, the announcement adds one more entry to the growing list of international carriers expanding their presence in the Pakistani aviation market, offering travellers and businesses alike a more convenient way to move between the two countries.
