The signing ceremony was attended by Chairman of the Board of Uzbekistan Airports Javlonbek Umarkhodjaev, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation Lee Hak Jae and Director of Urgench International Airport Oybek Matkarimov. The event was held under the leadership of the Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan Ilkhom Makhkamov.
"Cooperation with Incheon International Airport Corporation opens a new page in the development of Uzbekistan's airport infrastructure. The experience of our South Korean colleagues in managing one of the best airports in the world will become a solid foundation for the introduction of advanced technologies, improving the quality of passenger service and strengthening the transit potential of our country," said Javlonbek Umarkhodjaev, Chairman of the Board of Uzbekistan Airports.
The public-private partnership agreement provides for the joint implementation of the airport modernization and management project. The construction and management of passenger and cargo terminals, including ground handling, should be provided by a private partner. The state partner remains responsible for the construction and management of the airfield complex (runway, apron).
Recall that the tender for the implementation of the project "Modernization and Management of Urgench International Airport" based on the "Build-Operate-Transfer-BOT" model was announced on August 1, 2024 and was initiated by Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated August 30, 2024 No. PP-308 and is being implemented by Uzbekistan Airports together with The Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
In April of this year, all stages of the tender were completed and the winner was announced - Incheon International Airport Corporation, the company operating Incheon Airport (Seoul, South Korea). Incheon International Airport is the main air harbor of South Korea, one of the largest transport hubs in Northeast Asia, which has repeatedly been among the top 10 most developed and busiest airports in the world. By the end of 2024, Incheon Airport handled more than 80 million passengers.
