In recent years, international tourism in Uzbekistan has begun to develop rapidly. At the beginning of 2020, the UN World Tourism Organization reported that Uzbekistan ranks fourth in the world in terms of tourism growth. According to some sources, in just one year, from 2017 to 2018, the number of international arrivals to Uzbekistan increased 2.3 times, from 2.8 million to 6.4 million, and most visitors go to Samarkand to admire its historical and cultural monuments in the heart of the ancient Silk Road. And every person who has visited Samarkand may have personally seen why philosophers and poets of the past called it "The glorious Pearl of the Eastern Muslim world." In addition to its tourist attractiveness, Samarkand plays an important role as a transport hub connecting the capital of the Republic of Tashkent with two other historical cities - Bukhara and Khiva. Samarkand will also be the venue for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit next year, which will further increase the number of visitors.
The old Samarkand Airport, built in 1967, no longer meets modern international standards and cannot successfully cope with the ever-growing number of visitors to the city. Therefore, it is not surprising that in November 2018, a decision was made to redevelop the Samarkand International Airport, and after the visit of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the city in July 2019, the scope of the project expanded even more. There was an obvious need to create a modern tourist center in Samarkand, including a new airport, a tourist center with hotels, conference halls, theme parks and other entertainment facilities.
The reconstruction of the airport includes the modernization of the international terminal, the construction of another modern terminal, the construction of a new runway and the modernization of radar systems. The project also includes the construction of 24 aircraft parking spaces and a 700-seat passenger car park. To date, the work has already been completed by 80%. The airport's capacity is expected to increase from 350 to 1,000 passengers per hour, increasing the potential passenger traffic from 460,000 to 2 million per year, and the number of scheduled flights from 40 to 120 per week.
It is impossible not to mention that most of the work done by Enter Engineering was carried out during the corona virus pandemic. One of the main tasks was to maintain the safety and well-being of our employees and workers and prevent the spread of infection. We have implemented several effective measures to make all our employees aware of the danger of the virus and of the necessary methods of self-defense and caring for others. This included the use of personal protective equipment, measuring the temperature of employees, proper hygiene and disinfection measures, a quarantine system for monitoring employees suspected of infection, and their maintenance by qualified medical personnel. Despite some unavoidable delays in the process, we have managed to keep up with the overall work schedule, and we hope to finish the project in September 2021.
Like the whole world, Uzbekistan and Samarkand are ready to open their doors and hearts to millions of visitors from different parts of the world after the most difficult year in the modern history of mankind. In addition to magnificent architectural monuments, the city has carefully preserved the traditions of many ancient crafts, including embroidery, miniature painting, carpet weaving, copper engraving, ceramics, and wood carving. The city was included in the World Heritage List as "Samarkand - the crossroads of cultures", and it certainly retains this status since it took a central position on the Silk Road between China and the West. Interestingly, Samarkand is twinned with cities from many other countries - Bulgaria, Peru, India, Brazil, Pakistan, Belgium and many others. These ties will only grow stronger and deeper over time, and, as the old saying goes: it's better to see once than hear a hundred times.
When visitors arrive in Samarkand, they will be greeted by a new amazing terminal, designed in the form of an open book with a direct link to the manuscript of Mirzo Ulugbek "Novoguragan Astronomical tables", which appeared in 1444. At that time, it was the most comprehensive reference book containing the coordinates of 1018 stars, and it was considered one of the most important and advanced documents on astronomy in the world. Translated into Latin, this work was used in observatories throughout Europe. On the roof of the terminal there will be a map of the starry sky with some constellations recognizable from the air, especially when landing at night. Enter Engineering, already recognized as the leading EPC construction company in Central Asia, intends to add Samarkand International Airport to its list of successfully completed civil construction projects.
For millions of people, airports are not just doors for visitors, large employers, income generators - which, of course, is extremely important for the rapidly developing New Uzbekistan - but comfortable modern airports are also oases of a sense of hope and adventure that go far beyond simple travel from point A to point B. We hope that the new Samarkand International Airport will become a real source of pride and inspiration for many years to come!
Rustam Khaydarov - Deputy General Director for Construction of Industrial and Civil Facilities, Enter Engineering.