Uzbekistan Airways, state-owned carrier, has taken a wet-lease of two wide-body, long-haul Airbus A330 aircrafts from the private airline Qanot Sharq, Uzbekistan Airways' press service announced Friday.
The agreement (the wet-lease, a short-term form of aircraft leasing, normally includes leasing the crew, technical maintenance and insurance) was signed for one year. During this period, the aircrafts (registered numbers UK33020 and UK33021) will operate under the livery and branding of Uzbekistan Airways.
The two planes are initially planned to be used on routes from Tashkent to Istanbul, and then to Jeddah and Seoul. The first flight is scheduled for 20 May on route Tashkent — Istanbul — Tashkent.
Uzbekistan Airways began operating A330 aircrafts in April 2023 (link in Russian). Two such airliners were also taken on a wet-lease from Lithuanian Heston Airlines. Their crews consisted of foreign citizens. Currently, both aircraft have been returned to the owner.
