Three Central Asian airports — Tashkent, Almaty and Navoi — are competing head-to-head to become the primary air cargo gateway between China, Europe and the Middle East, a race that took centre stage when 340 aviation and logistics representatives gathered in Tashkent on 30 September and 1 October.

The Central Asia Aviation Cargo Summit made clear that the region's ambition has moved beyond simply adding capacity. Airlines, airports and forwarders are now betting on digitalisation, customs reform and multimodal connections — air, rail and road combined — to convert geography into freight flows.

The stakes are commercial, not conceptual. E-commerce traffic is generating new demand patterns across Eurasia, while perishables, high-value shipments and last-mile delivery are placing fresh requirements on regional cargo infrastructure. Operators that build the operating environment first will capture the flows; those that do not will watch traffic route elsewhere.

Who is in the room — and why it matters

The opening sessions brought together Catalin Radu, CEO and director general of RGC AvNet, and Henrik Hololei, aviation expert and former director general at the European Commission, alongside representatives from IATA, Malakut Insurance Brokers, Turkish Technology and Almaty International Airport. Their agenda covered international cargo standards, aviation insurance, artificial intelligence in cargo sales and customer service, and airport development.

Representatives from Silk Way West Airlines, Saudia Cargo and DHL Global Forwarding examined how air, rail and road networks could be combined to strengthen links with China, Europe, the Middle East and other markets. Aélia, YDA Group, Pacific Air Holdings and EMEX / FedEx Central Asia discussed insurance, regional gateways, special cargo and customs requirements as cross-border e-commerce expands.

For forwarders, the multimodal push means Central Asia is increasingly being treated as a set of logistics corridors rather than isolated airports — a shift that changes routing decisions for China–Europe cargo.

What role will digital standards play?

An IATA roundtable assembled IATA, Lufthansa Cargo, Qatar Airways, Centrum Air / My Freighter and Uzbekistan's Customs Committee to discuss certification, ONE Record, cargo connectivity, regulatory modernisation and data exchange between industry participants.

The message for carriers and forwarders was direct: Central Asian markets must align with international cargo standards if they want to attract more global operators and integrate with established Eurasian supply chains. Data exchange across systems is becoming a precondition for participation in interconnected cargo networks — and the region's supply chain still relies heavily on manual processes.

How are airports competing for flows?

Tashkent Airport and Navoi International Airport used the summit to outline cargo development strategies and infrastructure plans. A wider panel examined prospects for Tashkent, Almaty, Navoi and other regional airports, drawing participants from Silk Way West Airlines, Centrum Air, EMEX / FedEx Central Asia, Atlas Air, Lufthansa Cargo, Chapman Freeborn, Turkish Airlines and Navoi International Airport.

The discussion went beyond capacity to charter operations, ACMI arrangements, digital platforms, express logistics and GSSA services — evidence of the broad commercial ecosystem forming around Central Asian air cargo.

Day two turned to operational tools. Chapman Freeborn covered strategic air chartering, Atlas Air examined ACMI solutions for the region, Latvijas Pasts addressed postal operators' role in cross-border e-commerce, and Hans Infomatic tackled cargo terminal automation, cybersecurity and ONE Record.

Where are the constraints?

Workforce availability is emerging as a genuine brake on growth. A final panel involving Qanot Sharq, Centrum Air, Jupiter Jet and SCAT Airlines focused on training, professional skills and staffing requirements tied to a growing aviation sector. Automation could become increasingly significant as airports seek to handle higher volumes without simply adding manual processes and labour.

The summit also produced concrete deals: signing ceremonies between RGC AvNet and AeroClass, and between the Civil Aviation Authority of Romania and the Civil Aviation Authority of Uzbekistan.

For shippers and carriers, the open question is whether investment, partnerships and regulatory change translate into new services, more efficient cargo handling and stronger connections across the Eurasian freight network. The engagement level in Tashkent — 340 participants over two days — suggests the industry believes the region's cargo moment is arriving.