The Tajik government has adopted an Open Skies policy, lifting key restrictions on foreign carriers.
This move effectively abolishes the principle of parity between domestic and international airlines, which previously limited the number of foreign flights to match those of national carriers. Under the new rules, all restrictions on flight frequency, seating capacity, aircraft size, and tariffs for foreign airlines have been removed.
The Open Skies policy will apply at the international airports of Dushanbe, Khujand, Kulyab, and Bokhtar.
The decision is expected to promote competition, improve service quality, and expand access to air travel for passengers.
However, restrictions will remain in place for 18 destinations over the next three years. The government decree does not specify which destinations these are.
Turkish Airlines was quick to respond to the policy change, increasing its regular flights between Istanbul and Dushanbe from three to five per week.
Currently, there are only two direct flights between Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Air Astana, a Kazakh airline, operates flights from Almaty to Dushanbe (averaging $115 per ticket), while Somon Air, a Tajik airline, flies from Dushanbe to Astana (averaging $140).
Kazakhstan introduced its own Open Skies regime on November 1, 2019, which is now in effect at 13 airports across the country. As a result of this policy, the number of international flights to Kazakhstan has increased significantly. In June 2025 alone, four foreign airlines launched new routes to Kazakhstan from Baku, Novosibirsk, Abu Dhabi, and Muscat.
