Tajik president’s relatives 'may acquire' struggling Tajik Air

Tajik president’s relatives 'may acquire' struggling Tajik Air
Wings clipped. Tajik Air is going nowhere right now. / Dmitriy Pichugin.
By bne IntelliNews January 21, 2019

Close relatives of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon may acquire Tajik Air “for a pittance”, Eurasianet has reported, citing anonymous sources.

The airline cancelled all of its flights until the end of March last week but provided no explanation for its actions. All ground staff, pilots and crew were put on unpaid leave. Tajik Air has been struggling for over a decade, having accrued domestic debts worth $14mn for fuel deliveries, on-board catering as well as airport and air navigation services. The carrier is also drowning in foreign debt though figures have not been disclosed, according to the report.

Mismanagement at Tajik airlines, including Somon Air, has been seen over past years in quarrels with Russian aviation authorities and airlines, which frequently resulted in prolonged flight cancellations.

These rows may have reached a boiling point at the end of 2018, when Russian airports said they would no longer accept Tajik Air flights unless the airline’s debts were cleared. Moreover, Russian aviation authorities removed the Tajik airline from the Sirena-Travel computerised ticket reservation system. To top it off, the carrier lost its fuel supplier in Tajikistan.

Tajikistan is Central Asia's poorest nation and is heavily dependent on remittances from Tajiks who work abroad in Russia and other countries.

Related Articles

Iranian Judiciary says assets of jailed billionaire recovered from abroad

Billions of dollars in assets belonging to Iranian billionaire Babak Zanjani jailed for corruption, have been transferred to Iran from an unnamed third country, judiciary-linked Mizan News ... more

Trade between China and four of five “Stans” expands at rapid rate in 2023

Trade between China and the countries of Central Asia expanded at a rapid rate in 2023, with the exception of Turkmenistan, according to data published by China’s customs agency, or GACC. ... more

Another alleged Tajik terrorist in the headlines following Istanbul church shooting

Another alleged Tajik terrorist is in the headlines following the Istanbul church shooting that on January 28 left one Turkish citizen dead. One Tajik and one Russian were detained in Istanbul ... more

Dismiss