Uzbekistan Airways (HY, Tashkent International) will launch its first direct route to Kiev after a four-year absence of commercial air traffic between Ukraine and Uzbekistan, the airline has announced on its website and social media platforms.

The 1x weekly charter operation, which is being implemented together with Tashkent-based tour operator Charter Flights Group, will begin on October 5. The Uzbek flag carrier said it would deploy B757-200 and A320 aircraft to the route.

As ch-aviation reported at the time, Ukraine International Airlines (PS, Kyiv Boryspil) (UIA) suspended its route from Kyiv Boryspil to Tashkent International on May 28, 2015 after Ukraine and Uzbekistan were unable to reach a settlement on the allocation of summer traffic rights. Uzbekistan Airways had already suspended its service to the Ukrainian capital on May 12, 2015.

The impasse was caused, according to Ukraine's Avianews, by UIA's insistence that its frequencies increase to 3x or 4x weekly to cover a surge in demand. A similar suspension of flights in spring 2014 had been resolved when the two sides agreed to allow each other's airlines to operate the route 2x weekly.