Friday, July 13, 2012 -
Authorities of Kyrgyzstan’s main international Manas airport said Friday passenger traffic was up by 27 percent year-on-year during the first six months of 2012.
They flew aboard nearly 8,800 flights, according to a statement by Manas International Airport JSC.
The airport located nearby the country’s capital of Bishkek processed around 810,000 passengers so far this year versus 637,000 in the same period 2011, the KyrTAG news agency reported the company as saying.
The increase in traffic is largely due to the opening of 14 new international destinations from the capital city between January and the end of June 2012.
Moreover, many airline companies increased the frequency of flights between Bishkek and key destinations, such as Dubai, Istanbul, and Kiev.
The company also noted in its report that the volume of freight increased slightly to exceed 10,500 tons over the first half of 2012, a 2 percent rise over last year.
Manas airport handles aircraft from more than 150 different companies, while just three are locally-based, it said.
Manas International Airport JSC operates 11 domestic and international airports throughout the tiny Central Asian republic.
Kyrgyz leaders are planning to convert Manas Air Transit Center, currently used by U.S. and NATO troops to ferry troops and goods into and out of Afghanistan, as a civilian airport once those militaries' contracts end in 2014.