Why is this important
The growing number of complaints against air carriers indicates increasing problems with service quality, flight delays, and compliance with passenger rights amid the rapid expansion of Uzbekistan’s private aviation market. For consumers, this is directly linked to additional expenses, lost time, and the lack of compensation for transportation disruptions. At the same time, the situation increases pressure on regulators responsible for monitoring compliance with air transportation rules and passenger protection mechanisms.
What happened
- The Committee for the Development of Competition and Protection of Consumer Rights sent an inquiry to the Civil Aviation Agency regarding cases of ticket overselling and compliance with consumer rights in the operations of Centrum Air and Qanot Sharq airlines.
- The agency reported a growing number of appeals and complaints about the activities of air carriers, including through social media. Based on the results of the review, the committee identified violations related to the failure to provide paid services, delays in service delivery, and inadequate service quality.
- The inspection also revealed that both airlines were not fully complying with the Law “On Consumer Rights Protection”, aviation transportation rules, as well as certain provisions of the Air Code and the Civil Code.
- In addition, the antimonopoly authority launched an analytical study of all airlines in Uzbekistan concerning flight delays during 2025–2026, the causes of these delays, and the compensation paid.
Numbers and facts
- While 127 complaints were received in the air transportation sector throughout 2025, 145 appeals were received during January–April 2026 alone. This is 14 percent more than during the same period last year.
- Based on the analysis of citizens’ appeals, the committee recorded 110 cases involving charges for services that were not provided, 90 cases of failure to comply with established service deadlines, and 72 cases of poor-quality service.
- Among the most common passenger complaints were the untimely provision of flight information, refusal to board despite having tickets and reservations, prolonged flight delays, and failure to pay compensation for damages.
- The agency also stated that in some cases airlines failed to provide passengers with food and drinking water while waiting for flights, hotel accommodation and transfers during long delays, did not rebook tickets in overbooking situations, and did not compensate expenses caused by missed connecting flights.
Context
- For passengers, increased regulatory attention may lead to stricter oversight of flight delays, compensation mechanisms, and airline overbooking practices.
- At the same time, inspections show that the private aviation market is facing problems related to service quality and fulfillment of obligations to customers amid growing transportation volumes.
- For airlines, this raises the risk of tighter supervision and possible new requirements regarding compensation, service transparency, and compliance with transportation standards.
- An analytical audit of all carriers may also lead to new regulatory measures within the industry.
