Etihad Airways has signed a Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) with the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, aimed at promoting tourism marketing and trade between the UAE and the Central Asian nation.

The airline shared this information in a statement on Thursday.

The agreement was signed during the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 in Dubai by Aysha Saeed Al Kaabi, Vice President Commercial Enablement at Etihad Airways, and Abdulaziz Akkulov, Chairman of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan. Under the MoC, the two sides will collaborate on marketing, promotional activities and trade initiatives to raise Uzbekistan's profile among Etihad's international guests.

Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said Uzbekistan is one of the most exciting new markets in the airline's network, pointing to the launch of its daily service to Tashkent this year as evidence of that potential.

He said the new cooperation agreement with the Tourism Committee would help drive leisure travel, and that Etihad's global network, combined with its growing codeshare partnership with Uzbekistan Airways, was making it easier for travellers to discover destinations such as Samarkand and Bukhara, supporting tourism growth in the market.

Abdulaziz Akkulov, Chairman of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, said the country's tourism industry continued to show steady growth, with 9.1 million foreign tourists visiting between January and August 2026 and tourism service exports reaching $4.6 billion.

He said the committee's priority was not only to sustain that growth but also to expand inbound tourism, improve access to destinations across the country and strengthen Uzbekistan's presence in international tourism markets, adding that the memorandum would support those efforts and help attract more international visitors.

The agreement builds on Etihad's expanding presence in Uzbekistan. The airline launched its first route to the country on August 9, 2026, operating a daily non-stop Airbus A320 service between Abu Dhabi and Tashkent.

That followed a codeshare agreement with Uzbekistan Airways, in effect since May 15, 2026, which gives Etihad passengers single-ticket access to eight further Uzbek destinations — Samarkand, Bukhara, Urgench, Nukus, Termez, Fergana, Namangan and Andijan — as well as other routes on the Uzbek carrier's network.