Exactly 10 years ago, just before the 25th anniversary of the Republic of Uzbekistan's independence first Boeing 787-8 with registration number UK78701 for Uzbekistan's flag-carrier arrived to Tashkent.
Introduction of the new generation aircraft during the jubilee year became a key event in the history of Uzbekistan's civil aviation. Dreamliner opened new possibilities for expansion of the route network, long-haul transportation and development of modern aviation technologies.
During the decade the country changed a lot, and so did the national airline, completing the journey from taking delivery of the first Dreamliner to forming own professional and technical base for operation of this aircraft and large-scale expansion of long-haul fleet.
First Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner entered commercial operations in 2016. In November of that year the airline received the second aircraft. The third Dreamliner arrived toTashkent in May of 2018 followed by two more in 2019 and the sixth aircraft was welcomed to the fleet in May of 2021.
On 27 July 2017, for the first time in the company's history, flight from Tashkent to New York was operated without an intermediate stopover. Today, flight to the USA are operated five times a week, offering passengers a wide range of possibilities and a high level of service on long-haul routes.
The high level of expertise in operating the Boeing 787 received international recognition in the first years of operation. Based on the first six months of commercial operation of this aircraft type — from December 2016 to May 2017 — Uzbekistan Airways was recognized by Boeing Corporation as the world’s best Boeing 787 operator, demonstrating 100% safety and flight regularity performance.
A specialized Composite Materials Repair Center was established at Uzbekistan Airways Technics. Its capabilities allow the facility to perform work on modern aircraft, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The airline’s engineering and technical personnel have consistently expanded the range of work carried out independently, building expertise in the maintenance of the aircraft, its systems, components and engines.
One of the latest significant achievements took place on May 8, 2026, when specialists from Uzbekistan Airways Technics, following the completion of maintenance work, successfully performed complex engine testing directly on the wing of a Boeing 787 for the first time — On-Wing testing. This was preceded by specialized training and international certification of the specialists, as well as the acquisition of expertise in Engine Split procedures and the coupling and uncoupling of GEnx-1B engine sections.
Over the decade of Dreamliner operations, the airline has progressed from preparing its own infrastructure to receive a new aircraft type to independently performing increasingly complex types of maintenance. At the same time, its own Boeing 787 flight school was developed. Uzbekistan Airways established a Boeing 787 fleet unit, trained captains and first officers, and the experience accumulated over the years made it possible to develop its own flight instructor personnel. Today, they pass their knowledge on to the next generation of pilots, ensuring continuity and the development of a professional training system.
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The next stage in the development of the flight crew training system will be the installation of a full-flight Boeing 787-9 simulator (FFS) at the Uzbekistan Airways Training Center — the first simulator of this type in Central Asia. Its acquisition is a part of a contract between Uzbekistan Airways and Boeing for 22 new Boeing 787-9 aircrafts.
The simulator, manufactured by Canadian company CAE Inc., one of the world’s leaders in aviation simulation systems, will meet the highest Level D certification category. It provides highly accurate reproduction of the flight deck, aircraft systems and flight characteristics, allowing pilots to complete the full training cycle.
The introduction of the Boeing 787-9 FFS will enable Uzbekistan Airways to train flight crews at its own training facility, increase the autonomy of the training process and reduce the need to send pilots to overseas training centers. This is particularly important in view of the upcoming expansion of the Dreamliner fleet and the need to prepare flight crews in advance for the operation of the new aircraft.
Today, a comprehensive professional ecosystem has been established around the Dreamliner aircraft at Uzbekistan Airways — technical capabilities, engineering expertise, a dedicated flight unit, instructor personnel and a modern personnel training system.
Over the past ten years, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has become an integral part of the Uzbekistan Airways fleet and one of the key aircraft on intercontinental routes, connecting Uzbekistan with major cities around the world.
But the history of the Dreamliner at Uzbekistan Airways is, first and foremost, a history of people. Behind every aircraft and every completed flight are pilots and cabin crew, engineers and technicians, as well as specialists from ground, production and other services. A special place in this history belongs to those who were the first to undergo training ten years ago, participate in the acceptance and delivery of the new aircraft, master the specifics of their operation and lay the professional foundation for working with a new generation of aviation technology.
It is symbolic that the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner arrived in Uzbekistan on the eve of the 25th anniversary of our country’s Independence, while we are celebrating a decade of its operation together with the 35th anniversary of the Republic’s Independence. Over these years, we have not simply mastered a new aircraft type — we have built our own professional training system, trained flight and engineering personnel, and developed our technical and training infrastructure. Behind all these achievements is the work of a large Uzbekistan Airways team. Today, the experience we have accumulated enables us to confidently move on to the next, significantly larger-scale stage in the development of our long-haul fleet
, said Shukhrat Khudaykulov, Chairman of the Board of JSC “Uzbekistan Airways”.
Uzbekistan Airways enters the tenth anniversary of its Boeing 787 operations on the threshold of a new large-scale stage. In 2025, the airline signed the largest aircraft supply contract in its history for 22 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner wide-body aircraft. The first deliveries are expected from 2031.
The expansion of the Dreamliner fleet will allow the airline to increase capacity on high-demand routes, improve schedule resilience, expand the geography of long-haul flights and open new intercontinental routes connecting Central Asia with North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
The new aircraft will become an important part of Uzbekistan Airways’ long-term strategy to develop its international route network and strengthen Tashkent’s role as one of Central Asia’s leading aviation and transit hubs. Preparations for their arrival are already underway — through the development of technical expertise, flight crew training and the creation of a modern training infrastructure.
The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner became a symbol of a new stage in Uzbekistan’s civil aviation. Ten years later, the experience accumulated has become the foundation for new and significantly larger-scale challenges.
