DUSHANBE, July 22, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan’s national air carrier, Tajik Air, now owes more than 44 million somoni to Dushanbe International Airport, Tajikaeronavigatsiya and Fuel-Supply Company (airport’s main fuel provider).  These companies were, until recently, part of Tajik Air.

Speaking to reporters in Dushanbe, Rustam Kholiqov, director of Dushanbe International Airport, noted on July 22 that Tajik Air now owes 25 million somoni to the airport.  He noted that Tajik Air was the only debtor of the airport.

According to him, a 50-percent discount on airports’ services will be given to Tajik Air starting August 1 this year.

Meanwhile, Tajik Air’s debt to Tajikaeronavigatsiya amounts to 6.5 million somoni.  According to the Tajikaeronavigatsiya director Anvar Maqsoudov, his company does not have such problems with other air companies.  “We cover all our expenditures on servicing Tajik Air due to payments received from other air companies, while Tajik Air accounts for 44.6 percent of flights,” Maqsoudov said.

Director general of the Fuel-Supply Company, Muhabbatsho Abdulkhayev, told reporters that Tajik Air now owes more than 13 million somoni to the fuel provider.

According to the Tajik Air director general Alimurod Mahmadaliyev, the debt problems have resulted from restructuring of the state unitary enterprise, Tajik Air.  “As is known, all state-run air companies in the CIS nations have become out of business after restructuring,” said Mahmadaliyev, “Tajik Air still holds itself.”

We will recall that until 2008, Tajik Air had an absolute monopoly in Tajikistan’s air transport, owning all planes, airports, and airport and flight services.  As a result of restructuring, Tajik Air was split up into several separate companies.