Tajikistan handed over several local airports, which until now were under the control of the country’s city and district governments, to the Ministry of Defense.
President Emomali Rahmon signed the decision on August 31. Radio Ozodi saw the copy on September 25.
It was decided that Isfara airport, near the border with Kyrgyzstan, will be transferred to the Ministry of Defense from the balance of Khujand International Airport.
Also, the airports of Farkhor and Mir Syed Ali Hamadani, which are located near Afghanistan, will be transferred to the balance of the Ministry of Defense. Until now, these two airports were under the control of the Defense Support Organization.
The government has tasked the officials of the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan to restore the airports and maintain them in a permanent working condition at the expense of the paid service. Since the beginning of September of this year, the price of alternative or paid services in Tajikistan has been increased by almost eighty percent, from 28.5 thousand somoni to 51 thousand somoni.
The authorities did not explain the reason for their decision. Amon Asror, a Tajik expert living in Russia, says that the civil aviation sector has not been able to develop local airports in recent decades, although the demand for air travel is very high in the mountainous conditions of Tajikistan. Especially in conditions of damaged roads and floods and other natural disasters.
“On the other hand, Tajik aviation companies have limited opportunities, and they are mostly interested in international passenger transport. They get more income from it. Local airports have long been out of order,” he explained.
He added that the government’s decision shows that the authorities are not very optimistic about the development of civil aviation at the local level and consider military aviation better. The expert emphasized that the development of military infrastructure is also important in the conditions of modern conflicts and threats.
“Armed conflicts of recent years show that military aviation, especially the use of drones, is a decisive factor in conflicts. Perhaps the Tajik authorities are also paying attention to this, he said.
At the same time, our interlocutor added, “It would be good if local airports were improved and used not only for military aviation, but also for civilian purposes.”
Until now, “Ainy” Airport on the outskirts of Dushanbe is known as a military airport in Tajikistan. Several foreign countries have expressed interest in leasing it and establishing a military and air base. One of the candidates is called India.
This airport was used as a helicopter repair station during the former Soviet Union and was renovated and renovated a few years ago with 70 million dollars of Indian investment.
Source : Радио Озоди