The inaugural Central Asia Aviation Cargo Summit convened in Tashkent on 30 September and 1 October, drawing IATA, Lufthansa Cargo, Qatar Airways, Silk Way West Airlines, Saudia Cargo, Atlas Air, DHL Global Forwarding, Turkish Airlines and Chapman Freeborn, alongside the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan and more than 20 other carriers, airports, forwarders and technology providers.

What did carriers and airports put on the table?

The opening session paired IATA, Malakut Insurance Brokers, Turkish Technology and Almaty International Airport around cargo standards, aviation insurance and the use of AI in cargo sales and customer service. Speakers returned repeatedly to the same point: new lift has to be matched with reliable handling, modern infrastructure, trained staff and predictable compliance.

For shippers, that translates into a hard test. Documentation, data exchange, safety procedures and regulatory alignment now decide whether a Central Asian airport can sit inside a wider international network rather than linger on its edge.

Can air cargo integrate with rail and road in Eurasia?

Silk Way West Airlines, Saudia Cargo and DHL Global Forwarding led a session on multimodal logistics and how air can combine with rail and road to build resilient flows with China, Europe and the Middle East.

The commercial question is sharp in a region where long distances, imbalanced flows and freighter economics make standalone air expensive. The session covered compliance, the role of Gulf hubs, and where combinations of air, road and rail can deliver a real cost, speed or reliability advantage.

Will ONE Record and customs reform unlock the region?

IATA, Lufthansa Cargo, Qatar Airways, Centrum Air / My Freighter and the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan took the IATA Roundtable, focusing on ONE Record, certification and regulatory modernisation. The discussion laid bare a familiar gap: digital cargo standards have been on the agenda for years, but Central Asian markets still run partly on manual processes.

Closing that gap would let airlines, airports and customs work from a single shipment record. Whether the political and operational will matches the rhetoric will shape Tashkent's standing against Turkish and Gulf gateways.

What is at stake for Tashkent, Navoi, Almaty and Aktau?

Day two shifted to global operators, ACMI leasing, charter capacity and airport infrastructure. Chapman Freeborn pitched strategic air chartering, Atlas Air laid out flexible ACMI solutions, and Latvijas Pasts examined the link between postal operators, airlines and cross-border e-commerce.

Tashkent Airport and Navoi International Airport then presented cargo development strategies, with both positioned as anchors of Uzbekistan's role in Eurasian logistics. Aktau International Airport featured in a separate session on e-commerce, perishables and high-value shipments, with input from Aélia, YDA Group, Pacific Air Holdings and EMEX / FedEx Central Asia.

A first-day panel drew Kale Logistics, Silk Way West, Centrum Air, EMEX / FedEx, AVIAREPS, Atlas Air, Lufthansa Cargo, Chapman Freeborn, Navoi International Airport, Zeal Global Services and Turkish Airlines to debate hub competition, infrastructure bottlenecks and the future of China–Europe and other Eurasian corridors.

Who signed deals during the summit?

Two signing ceremonies closed day one. RGC AvNet signed with AeroClass, and CAA Romania signed with CAA Uzbekistan — formal steps toward closer cooperation on training, certification or operational alignment, depending on what each pair releases.

What happens next on workforce and capacity?

Qanot Sharq, Centrum Air, Jupiter Jet and SCAT Airlines closed the programme with a workforce panel covering education, skills and staffing. New aircraft, terminals and digital systems need trained people; recruitment will have to keep pace with capacity additions.

Organisers said the Summit will return in a future edition, with the next meeting expected to track how new routes, ACMI contracts and ONE Record rollouts translate into tonnage at Tashkent, Navoi, Almaty and Aktau.