Uzbekistan's air cargo volume rose 182% over the past five years, according to a report by UzDaily.uz, a growth rate that positions the Central Asian state among the faster-expanding air freight markets in the region.

The five-fold pace of expansion — nearly tripling tonnage handled over the period — signals structural change in how freight moves through Uzbekistan rather than a one-year statistical spike. Sustained growth at this scale typically reflects a combination of fleet additions, new cargo routes and rising transit traffic between Europe and Asia.

What does a 182% increase mean in practice?

A 182% gain over five years implies an average annual growth rate of roughly 23%, far above global air cargo growth, which has hovered in the low single digits in most recent years outside the pandemic-era surge. That differential points to Uzbekistan capturing a growing share of Eurasian freight flows, whether through hub development at Tashkent, expanded belly capacity on passenger routes, or dedicated freighter operations by national and foreign carriers.

For airlines and logistics operators, the figure matters commercially. Markets compounding at more than 20% annually attract freighter deployment, warehouse investment and interline partnerships faster than mature markets, because the return on incremental capacity arrives sooner.

Who benefits from the growth?

Cargo growth at this rate has direct consequences for the aviation supply chain serving Uzbekistan:

• Carriers can justify dedicating freighter capacity rather than relying on belly space alone.
• Ground handlers and terminal operators face pressure to expand cool-chain and heavy-cargo capability.
• Lessors see a market where converted freighters can be placed with local operators.

The UzDaily.uz report does not break the aggregate figure down by carrier, route or commodity, so the balance between national operator capacity and foreign carrier lift remains unverified. The 182% figure should be read as a national total rather than evidence about any single airline's performance.

What comes next?

If the five-year trajectory holds, Uzbekistan's cargo infrastructure — terminal capacity, customs processing and freighter parking — will need continued investment to absorb volumes that, on current trend, would again approach a doubling before the end of the decade.