American airline United Airlines is exploring the possibility of opening flights to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. However, restrictions on flying over Russia hinder the launch of these routes. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
CEO Scott Kirby spoke about the interest in Central Asian markets on the Cheeky Pint podcast, according to aviation publication Live and Let’s Fly. According to him, the head of United's network planning division, Patrick Quayle, visited both countries this year to assess the prospects for opening flights.
“We can't fly there right now because we can't overfly Russia,” Kirby said.
At the same time, the head of United did not rule out that such destinations could become possible in the future. He did not name specific cities, launch dates, or aircraft types. The airline has not yet officially announced the opening of flights.
The author of the publication, Matthew Klint, suggests that United could operate flights from Newark Airport in the US. However, this is his assessment: the carrier itself did not specify departure and destination airports.
Klint also notes that opening routes will require sufficient solvent demand. Tourist flow alone, especially with pronounced seasonality, may not be enough for profitable long-haul flights.