Salamatsyzby! This is Sugi from ASHU TRAVEL, scenic horse riding journeys in Central Asia.
I live in Kyrgyzstan and spend my days answering guests’ questions about traveling in Central Asia.
Recently, more and more guests have been telling me things like “I couldn’t get a ticket” or “Prices for my preferred dates went up so much that I want to change my schedule.”
This time, I’d like to share some concerns about 2026 flights to Central Asia, based on my experience at work. If you’re thinking about a trip to Central Asia, I hope this helps!
This year, flights to Central Asia are hard to get at certain times…
Since around January, I’ve really been feeling it: for certain periods, there are no tickets, and the ones left are expensive!
Guests: “I want to go, but there are no tickets”
Guests hoping to travel to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan have been telling us, “My preferred dates were already sold out” or “Prices went up so much I gave up.”
For example, as of January there were no cheap seats left to Kyrgyzstan for Golden Week (the big holiday period in Japan), only seats costing well over ¥200,000 round trip… Flights to Uzbekistan via Incheon cost more than direct flights, even though they’re connecting flights… and so on…
More than once I found myself shouting “Whaaat!” at the screen, and it was painful. These people want to come all the way to Central Asia…
Staff member Sugi: “I can’t see my family”
This year, my family was supposed to come from Japan to visit me in Kyrgyzstan.
But as of winter, there were no Trinity Airways (formerly T’way Air) flights on holidays in April, flights to Kyrgyzstan over Golden Week were expensive, and there were no convenient flights to Almaty (and even when there were, the connections were tight!)…
For these and other reasons, it ended up being pushed back to summer or later.
Last year, there were reasonably priced flights to Kyrgyzstan and Almaty even fairly close to the date…
Why are flights filling up faster? Possible reasons
I can’t say for sure, but I’ve summarized what I’ve heard from people at ticketing companies and what I’ve noticed while helping guests.
① Korea–Central Asia routes fill up easily
While helping guests, one thing that has caught my attention is what’s happening on Korea–Central Asia routes. Depending on the season, there have been more cases of flights between Korea and Uzbekistan, and between Incheon and Bishkek, selling out.
I don’t know whether more Korean travelers are coming, or whether many people from other countries are traveling via Incheon. But it’s certain that these routes fill up easily at certain times.
② Fewer routes from Japan to Almaty via China
Because of reduced flights in China, there are fewer options for traveling from Japan to Almaty via China. When there are fewer usable routes, people tend to crowd onto the remaining flights.
③ More people are using Tashkent International Airport
Someone at a ticketing company told me that, due to the recent situation in the Middle East, demand is rising for Central Asian airports that let you avoid transiting through the Middle East, especially Tashkent International Airport.
It seems that not only travelers but also people heading to other destinations are now transiting through Central Asia.
[Bonus] So what’s happening with direct flights to Almaty?
This is a bit of a tangent, but some time ago we shared the news that a direct flight to Almaty was going to start.
When I asked someone at a ticketing company, they said, “At this point, it’s impossible to predict.”
It seems the airlines themselves need to consider how demand and fuel will develop. (If people hold off on travel, it might be next year; on the other hand, demand may rise because Middle Eastern airports can’t be used, so a direct flight might start right away… that kind of thing.)
Since even the professionals can’t predict it, it may be hard to plan on the assumption that direct flights will resume.
If you want to travel to Central Asia in 2026
Honestly, I can’t say for sure when the best time to buy is. The world situation could change and much cheaper tickets could appear… or, on the contrary, flights could keep filling up.
But looking at the current trend, I feel there’s no harm in getting your itinerary and flights sorted early. If you book a tour but then can’t get a ticket, the trip you were looking forward to would be ruined.
Whether you buy or not, at least check what options are available!
For ASHU TRAVEL guests
Once you’ve booked your flights, please send us your outbound and return flight numbers and departure/arrival times via our official LINE account or by email. If you’ve already done so, there’s nothing more you need to do!
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