I suspect that most people might not share my excitement, but this might be the most intriguing new long haul service we’ve seen to the United States in a long time, purely in terms of how unknown the airline is to many people. And there’s little I love more than boarding a flight where I don’t know what to expect.
Qanot Sharq will start flying to the United States
Qanot Sharq has announced that it plans to launch flights between Tashkent and New York. The flight is expected to commence as of May 3, 2026, with flights operating twice per week, with the following schedule, as reported by AeroRoutes:
HH101 Tashkent to New York departing 11:20AM arriving 3:40PM
HH102 New York to Tashkent departing 5:10PM arriving 2:40PM (+1 day)
The 6,338-mile flight will operate on Wednesdays and Sundays in both directions, and is blocked at 13hr20min westbound and 12hr30min eastbound. Tickets should go on sale soon. The airline will use an Airbus A330-200 for the route, featuring 266 seats. This includes 18 business class seats and 248 economy class seats.
For what it’s worth, Uzbekistan Airways also operates this route (I reviewed business class back in 2017) with up to five weekly flights. Interestingly, the airline uses the same flight number, with its code, of course — HY101/102.
Wait, what is Qanot Sharq, anyway?
I imagine that even most avgeek OMAAT readers haven’t heard of Qanot Sharq, so let’s talk about that a bit. The current iteration of the airline only launched in 2021, so it’s still a pretty new operation.
The airline is based in Tashkent, and has an all-Airbus fleet consisting of seven aircraft, including two A320s, two A321neos, one A321XLR, and two A330-200s. Rather oddly, the airline also plans to take delivery of A321LRs. It’s very odd to see such a small operator get the A321neo, A321LR, and A321XLR, but I digress…
Uzbekistan is a fast growing market, and Qanot Sharq seems to largely serve more leisure oriented routes, and generally has better pricing than Uzbekistan Airways. Vlogger Noel Philips recently reviewed Qanot Sharq’s A330 business class, and he had the cabin all to himself. FUN!
Often airlines will launch long haul flights to New York out of prestige. Is that what’s going on here? Well, Uzbekistan Airways has done quite well in the market, as I understand it, and ultimately this is a good option for accessing Central Asia.
That being said, Qanot Sharq will have to aggressively compete on price, since the airline doesn’t have as good of a passenger experience as Uzbekistan Airways, and also doesn’t have as big of a network for connectivity.
This will be the carrier’s longest route to date, as the airline otherwise flies A330s to China, South Korea, Thailand, etc. You can bet I’ll be taking this flight, as I’d love to visit Uzbekistan again!
The carrier’s two A330s are an average of 15 years old, though the airline only took delivery of the planes in 2024-2025. Both are former Air China planes, with business class consisting of flat beds in a 2-2-2 configuration. There’s no Wi-Fi, and… no alcohol!
Bottom line
Tashkent to New York will soon become a route operated by two airlines, as Qanot Sharq will be launching service in the market as of May 2026. The airline will operate the route twice weekly with Airbus A330s, and it’s a very cool addition.
I look forward to checking out this flight, and it might be easier to review than Uzbekistan Airways, which has a no photography policy.
What do you make of Qanot Sharq flying to the United States?
