VZCZCXRO1054
RR RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0932/01 2121001
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 311001Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0590
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0194
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 1296

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 DUSHANBE 000932 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR ECON PREL TI
SUBJECT: FLYING BY NIGHT: TAJIK AVIATION ILL-EQUIPPED, UNDER-FUNDED 
 
DUSHANBE 00000932  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Tajikistan's aviation sector faces many 
challenges: lack of capacity and oversight, limited flights, 
high costs, poor planning, aging infrastructure, and unrealistic 
expectations.  During a recent visit to Dushanbe by senior 
Moscow-based Federal Aviation Administration representative 
Brian Staurseth, officials at Tajikistan's Civil Aviation 
Department and flag carrier Tajik Air appeared well aware of the 
problems, and some areas were being addressed.  But many 
problems are fundamental to the country: low wages, massive 
corruption, and poor planning.  To fix these will require a 
broader effort.  End summary. 
 
 
 
LACK OF CAPACITY AT OVERSIGHT AGENCIES 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) Tajikistan's aviation sector is poorly regulated, its 
oversight agencies are underfunded, and many of those charged 
with regulating the industry moonlight for the very companies 
they oversee.  Two bodies are responsible for civil aviation in 
Tajikistan: the Ministry of Transportation and Communications 
deals with policy and is responsible for oversight of air and 
other transportation operations.  The Ministry negotiates air 
transportation agreements with other countries, opens new air 
routes, and designates operators.  The Civil Aviation 
Department, subordinated to the Ministry, is responsible for 
flight safety, aircraft investigation, and other technical 
oversight.  It has four divisions: airports, use of airspace, 
aviation security and flight operations, and technical 
regulation. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to Aziz Nabiev, head of the Civil Aviation 
Department, his agency has only 22 staff members, and is funded 
entirely out of the state budget, unlike civil aviation agencies 
in many countries where operations are funded partially from 
ticket sales or other sources of revenue.  Salaries are 
extremely low, and many officials moonlight as pilots to make 
ends meet.  Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications 
Firuz Hamroev regularly flies for Tajikistan's national carrier. 
 Hamroev admitted this was a conflict of interest: "I fly for 
Tajik Air.  Technically, this is a violation: I shouldn't work 
for an entity that I regulate.  But I have to make money. 
Anyway, we're pretty tough on Tajik Air."  Moscow-based FAA 
representative Brian Staurseth acknowledged that adequately 
funding civil aviation authorities is a worldwide problem, but 
many countries are finding creative solutions.  Croatia, for 
example, recently agreed to increase salaries for airline safety 
officials, guaranteeing state salaries for specialists that 
matched those of the private sector. 
 
 
 
MINIMAL INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Compared to its Central Asian neighbors, Tajikistan is 
underserved by international flights.  Until airBaltic 
inaugurated bi-weekly service to Riga in June, the only western 
airline to serve Dushanbe was Turkish Air, with two flights a 
week to Istanbul.  The only well-served route is to Moscow, with 
four daily flights, though these are often canceled for one 
reason or another.  Other destinations served include Dubai; 
Urumchi, China; Kabul; Tehran; and several cities in Russia. 
Dushanbe's connections are so poor that many here, westerners 
included, fly to Kabul to connect to onward destinations.  A new 
route to Frankfurt on Somon Air began operating last week, but 
ticket sales have been dismal: only five seats were booked on 
the first flight, and three on the second.  A manager at Somon 
Air complained the airline had done no homework to prepare for 
and market the flight, and he expected the route to fail.  A 
planned Tajik Air flight to Munich has been in the works for 
almost a year, but has yet to get off the ground. 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) While Tajikistan is a poor country with a relatively 
small population, and Dushanbe is not a major business or 
tourism destination, most believe that with proper planning a 
reputable airline could easily fill several more routes to 
Europe.  Indeed, anyone flying here on Turkish Air's two weekly 
flights from Istanbul will note that despite the ungodly hour 
and roundtrip prices approaching US $1,000, the planes are 
 
DUSHANBE 00000932  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
always full.  When asked why Dushanbe's connections are so poor, 
Hamroev said it was because Tajikistan lacked bilateral 
agreements for air service with many countries in Europe.  "We 
would love to have an Air France or a British Airways here, but 
they are not interested in flying to Dushanbe." 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) However, Turkish Air has long sought to add more 
flights from Istanbul, but has been denied permission by the 
Tajik government, which is apparently concerned that the 
additional flights would draw business away from Tajik Air's 
single weekly flight on the same route.  We have been told that 
until Tajik Air can be assured of parity with Turkish Air on the 
Dushanbe-Istanbul route, Turkish Air's requests will continue to 
be denied.  Consumers have shown a marked preference for Turkish 
Air over Tajikistan's national carrier, however, and it is 
unclear that Tajik Air can find the customers without 
dramatically slashing prices. 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Dushanbe civil aviation officials see the new airBaltic 
flight as a major success: the flights got up and running after 
only four months of planning.  The case demonstrates the 
importance of direct presidential involvement, however, since 
the decision to open the route emerged during a meeting between 
the Latvian and Tajik leaders in February.  In theory Somon Air 
will launch a matching route to Riga at some point, though there 
is no indication of when.  (Comment: The unwillingness of 
Western aviation authorities to open their airports to Tajik Air 
would be a significant barrier for Western airlines potentially 
interested in flying to Dushanbe.  End comment.) 
 
 
 
THE SAME OLD STORY: PROBLEMS WITH TASHKENT 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) Though there are direct flights from Dushanbe to only 
nine countries, Tajikistan has bilateral air agreements with 22 
countries, and five more are due to be signed soon with 
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Moldova, and Mongolia. 
Conspicuously absent from the list is Uzbekistan.  Due to 
continuously strained relations between Tajikistan and 
Uzbekistan, there has been no regularly scheduled air service 
between the two countries since May 12, 1992.  Sources agree, 
however, that this route would be very profitable.  Uzbek and 
Tajik populations are heavily intermixed, and many inhabitants 
have relatives in the neighboring country.  In Soviet times 
there were fourteen flights a day between the two republics, 
serving not only the capitals, but several secondary cities as 
well.  Over the past 15 years, according to Hamroev, the Tajik 
government has made serious attempts to sign a bilateral air 
agreement with Tashkent.  Each time, the paperwork appears to 
disappear into a void after crossing into Uzbekistan by 
diplomatic courier. 
 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) The most recent attempt was in February 2009, when an 
Uzbek delegation arrived in Dushanbe to discuss bilateral 
issues.  It was widely reported the Uzbeks were interested in 
renewing flights as soon as possible.  Hamroev said they wanted 
to have planes running in time for Navruz holiday in the second 
half of March.  The Tajiks quickly dusted off a three-year-old 
Uzbek proposal, made some edits, and sent it to Tashkent for 
approval.  Once again, however, they never heard a response. 
During a recent visit to Moscow, Nabiev ran into a working-level 
Uzbek counterpart, who said that they had received the 
paperwork, and were eager to begin operations, but "we don't 
have the green light from above.  This thing is being held up at 
the highest levels." 
 
 
 
FLYING BY NIGHT 
 
 
 
¶10. (U) A frequent complaint about international flights to 
Dushanbe is timing: the few flights connecting Dushanbe to the 
outside world almost all arrive and depart in the middle of the 
night.  Nabiev provided several explanations, none of them 
entirely satisfactory.  He noted that Dushanbe has a very hot 
summer climate, and planes have considerably less lift in high 
 
DUSHANBE 00000932  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
temperatures, especially Soviet-built aircraft, which can seat 
30 to 35 more passengers at night.  For this reason, flights 
delayed in the morning often do not take off until the following 
evening.  Nabiev said western aircraft were less subject to 
heat-related lift differences, and Turkish Air and airBaltic had 
their own reasons for scheduling night flights, probably based 
on the airport slots available in Istanbul and Riga.  He 
speculated that more competitive routes from these airports to 
Europe are given more appealing time slots.  He suggested as 
well that Dushanbe's early departures give customers the ability 
to connect through Istanbul and Riga to other destinations. 
 
 
 
NOWHERE TO FLY, NOTHING TO FLY THERE ON 
 
 
 
¶11. (U) Both Hamroev and Nabiev lamented that Tajikistan's air 
operations have shrunk dramatically since the collapse of the 
USSR.  During the Soviet period, the country had 47 operational 
airports.  Of these, only 15 are currently maintained, though 
not in consistent use.  There are four international airports, 
Dushanbe, Khojand (in Soghd province), and Qurghonteppa and 
Kulob (both in Khatlon province).  The remaining eleven local 
airports are in Ayni, Penjakent, and Isfara (in Soghd); Gharm 
and Jirgatal (in the central region), Parkhar and Khovaling (in 
Khatlon); and Ishkashim, Khorog, Rushob, and Vanj (in the 
Badakhshon Autonomous Region).  The other Soviet-era airports 
went into disuse for several reasons.  First, with the end of 
the Soviet Union Moscow stopped providing fuel.  Tajik 
authorities cannot afford fuel to serve most regional airports. 
Second, because of increased operations costs, Tajik Air cannot 
afford to maintain routes to less-used airports, and passengers 
cannot afford to pay the real costs of the flights.  Hamroev 
said that even tickets on existing routes, such as 
Dushanbe-Khojand, are sold below cost, on direct orders from the 
government.  Working on this budget had hamstrung Tajik Air's 
ability to upgrade its fleet and operations.  Finally, the 
Antonov-2, formerly the aircraft of choice on short-haul 
flights, is no longer maintained and Tajik Air lacked the funds 
to buy a suitable replacement. 
 
 
 
¶12. (U) According to officials at Tajik Air, the airline has 25 
operating aircraft: four Tupelov-154s, seven Yakovlev-40s, four 
Antonov-24s/26s, three Antonov-28s, four helicopters, one Boeing 
757 leased from ILFC, and two Boeing 737-200s leased from East 
Air.  (Note: The condition of all of these aircraft is not 
known; some reports list smaller numbers.  End note.)  The rest 
of its assets, including several Antonov-2s and other obsolete 
aircraft, must be regarded as scrap.  Half a decade ago Tajik 
Air was looking into renovating its fleet with new Russian 
Tupelov-214s, but has since decided to work with Boeing through 
its Moscow representative office.  Several Tajik pilots and 
crews have traveled to the United States in recent years for 
flight training.  Somon Air and Tajik Air's Boeings are 
maintained in Turkey under maintenance agreements. 
 
 
 
EFFORTS TO REVITALIZE AVIATION SECTOR 
 
 
 
¶13. (SBU) To revitalize the aviation sector the central 
government recently followed a World Bank recommendation and 
divided Tajik Air operations into three entities: the airline, 
the airports, and the air navigation system.  Each of the four 
main airports is to be independent; the remaining airports, 
including Khorog, are part of Dushanbe airport.  While the 
division formally occurred in January, officials admit that 
there is still a considerable amount of crossover between the 
entities: they often share staff and responsibilities, and the 
three regional airports do not yet operate independently.  The 
regional airports are incapable of supporting themselves, 
according to Hamroev. 
 
 
 
COMMENT: SHOOTING THE MOON? 
 
 
 
¶14. (SBU) Tajikistan faces many hurdles in developing a safe and 
effective aviation sector.  Its population is small and poor, 
 
DUSHANBE 00000932  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
its terrain is rugged, and its relations with neighbors are 
strained.  Yet many of the country's aviation problems are 
self-inflicted.  Despite a clear demand for connections to 
Europe, officials stubbornly refuse to allow more Turkish Air 
flights to land in Dushanbe, while failing to make the changes 
necessary to make Tajik Air competitive.  Tajik Air and Somon 
Air have demonstrated a glaring inability to plan for and market 
new routes, and the new Somon Air flight to Frankfurt appears to 
be a failure.  The government has not created effective, 
adequately-funded oversight agencies.  On the positive side, the 
aviation officials we spoke with were candid, willing to talk 
about their problems, and appeared genuinely interested in 
seeing real change.  In light of the problems they face, 
however, Somon Air's latest plans to fly to New York must be 
regarded as likely as a Tajik flight to the moon. 
 
End comment. 
QUAST