Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan to the Sultanate of Oman Abdusalom Khotamov met with the Chairman of Salam Air Mohamed Al Khonji, and CEO Adrian Hamilton-Manns.
The parties discussed the prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation. Special attention was paid to the establishment of direct flights, the expansion of flight routes, and the development of tourism and business ties.
Salam Air’s leadership expressed interest in strengthening the partnership, emphasizing that the Central Asian region, as a relatively new destination on the international aviation map, has high potential.
Following the meeting, an agreement was reached to continue the dialogue at the expert level to work out in detail the priority areas of cooperation.
M. Pirmatova, UzA
A meeting was held yesterday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the implementation of the decree of the Head of our state “On Measures to Further Develop Domestic and Pilgrimage Tourism in the Republic of Uzbekistan” dated February 9, 2021, and the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers “On Additional Measures to Implement the “Umrah Plus” Pilgrimage Tourism Program dated January 9, 2026, as well as to expanding tourist flows from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore to Uzbekistan, reports Dunyo IA.
According to the MFA, the meeting, organized in a hybrid format, was attended by representatives of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, the Committee on Religious Affairs, the Technical Regulation Agency, the khokimiyats of Bukhara and Samarkand regions and Tashkent city, JSC Uzbekistan Airways, JSC Uzbekistan Airports, domestic airlines, the Uzbekistan–Malaysia–Indonesia Travel Association, the Association of Umrah Pilgrimage Travel Agencies, as well as nearly 40 representatives of tourism companies.
Participants discussed in detail transport and logistics, service quality, and promotional measures aimed at increasing tourist arrivals to Uzbekistan from Southeast Asian countries. In particular, they considered increasing the number of flights from Malaysia, launching direct flights from Indonesia and Singapore, intensifying promotional activities for pilgrimage tourism under the “Umrah Plus” program, aligning infrastructure for foreign pilgrims with international halal standards, and strengthening coordination with tourism companies operating in this field.
The event was held in an open dialogue format based on the “problem–proposal–solution” approach, providing participants with an opportunity to exchange constructive views on existing challenges and opportunities in the sector.