United Airlines is exploring the possibility of launching flights to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan

United Airlines is considering launching flights to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan

American airline United Airlines is exploring the possibility of opening direct flights to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Representatives of the carrier have already visited both countries to assess the prospects of the new destinations; however, the implementation of these plans continues to be hindered by restrictions on the use of Russian airspace.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby spoke about this on the Cheeky Pint podcast, which was published on October 27. According to him, Patrick Quayle, the company's senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, visited Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan this year.

Kirby cited this trip as an example of exploring new destinations beyond traditional tourist markets. At the same time, he did not specify which exact cities might be included in the route network, which U.S. airports flights might depart from, or when precisely their launch could begin.

"We can’t fly there today because we can’t overfly Russia. But maybe that will be a reality in the future," the head of the airline stated.

Closed Russian airspace remains one of the key obstacles for American carriers when organizing flights to Central Asia. The need to bypass Russia lengthens routes and can affect the economic efficiency of flights.

Direct air service between Uzbekistan and the U.S. already exists. Uzbekistan Airways operates flights between Tashkent and New York using Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The private airline Qanot Sharq also launched direct flights on this route in March 2026.

Thus, United Airlines' potential entry into this market would mark the appearance of an American carrier on a route currently served by Central Asian airlines. At present, there are no direct scheduled passenger flights by American airlines to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan's Air Astana, for its part, expects to begin flights to New York in the second half of 2027. In the first phase, operating two flights per week is under consideration. To organize the route, the company will have to bypass Russian airspace, which will increase flight duration and may require payload restrictions on the aircraft.

According to Air Astana CEO Ibrahim Canliel, the ability to fly over Russia would reduce travel time by about two hours and remove payload restrictions.

Kirby also noted that United Airlines already carries passengers heading to Kazakhstan through its partnership with Lufthansa. This points to existing demand for travel between the U.S. and Kazakhstan, although the head of the American airline has not yet presented specific plans for opening the routes.