Uzbekistan Airways Business Class to London (modern 767 and vintage 757)

[SQueeze]

Background

This trip on really exotic Uzbekistan Airways is actually my second choice. In early January, I was looking for a flight from Delhi to London, and I have been eyeing Turkmenistan Airlines which I was really keen to try. That would have been a really rare opportunity. Firstly, it is not bookable online. Secondly it only has a handful of flights anywhere (1x to Delhi per week). But I am really curious. I am also aware that they just opened a new airport terminal which is architecturally surreal in the shape of a bird and almost literally so. Being an architecture junkie myself, this would have made an awesome trip. So I called the Turkmenistan Airlines office in Delhi, the only booking channel.

However, alas, and very unfortunately, the flight is sold out. Can you believe it. I didn't. And I had to ask again and again. "Are you sure, your flights are so hard to book, but it's sold out? Could it be system update?" .

"Yes sir, it's sold out, both classes. You should fly Air India instead. The fare is INR 28,000"

Okayyy. So I got turned away.

But I was insistent. I asked for a waitlist (2 weeks before the flight) and monitored almost every other day. Very typical old system, they asked for my passport copy and all that. I called and called. And I visited the office once, which they immediately recognised me as the pestering traveller whom they can never understand why I insist on flying their airline, but the waitlist is not clearing - neither economy nor business class was available on my desired date at T-2. I was so desperate I was even contemplating to bus it to Amritsar to take their flight from there (curiously they have 5x a week from there and I think I know why. I will explain it later).

So okay, my dream doesn't come through, and it was only then I was searching again and I came across Uzbekistan Airways. It has been in my radar for awhile too although it is not as rare as Turkmen. To my pleasant discovery, Uzbekistan is now readily bookable from expedia. And I think all their routes including selected domestic ones are bookable. At one point, I know they are bookable at expedia but on and off. But this time, it seems they have fully or almost fully migrated to the GDS. Their own website is very unfriendly to foreigners though.

So good. Here's my chance. And to sweeten the deal further, for the 12 hour journey, the business class fare is only about USD300 more ! So done! Uzbekistan it is this time. And I couldn't be more excited flying on this since my Etihad Apartment flight more than a year back.

And this is the story of flying Delhi-Amritsar-Tashkent-London

Part 1: The 767-300ER

Airline: Uzbekistan Airways
Flight: HY422
Seat: 3A
Class: Business
Load: almost 100%
Type: 767 (UK-67005)

The journey started on a quietish Friday morning at Indira Gandhi Airport. This was the sandwiched day between after Republic Day. So business was a bit slow.



HY's check in counter is alongside another exotica Nepal Airlines



I was just slightly above one hour so the counters were all empty.



Well, maybe it was a load light. I spent quite a bit of time here which was getting harrowing. They don't seem to encounter many connecting passengers and they were checking my visa for the UK which I didn't have because I don't need one. So a lot of questioning and checking like when was my last trip, please show the chop. Then the agent started asking around, and to my dismay, the other agent thought I was to be checked against a visa for Uzbekistan which I do need one. A good 15 minutes went by before everyone including the station manager was finally convinced that I am good to go without visa. But ... boarding pass from Tashkent to London couldn't be issued.

"Please collect onward boarding pass in Tashkent" .

Oops - what if not? Will I get detained. Quite a bit of worry as I will be stranded there but I braved myself. It is what it is.

So I proceeded to the lounge quickly (ITC lounge) for breakfast which I had yet to have that day and I was hungry.



ITC lounge is located at the mezzanine level of the departure hall and is a much better lounge than claustrophobic SKL!



The food that morning however seems to be the same one as from the night before. Because just a few weeks before, I was on a Malaysia airlines flight at this lounge as well and it is definitely the same menu. It was good in the evening. But by morning, it was uninspiring. Very dry.



Having filled my tummy, I walked quickly towards the gate which is at the end of T3's pier.



First glimpse of the bird which was going to to fly me to Tashkent via Amritsar



And then a fuller view of the gorgeous bright and sunny colour scheme.



I went onboard, greeted courteously by ethnic Russian stewardesses. They were not exactly warm but at least they greet you. I am fine with them. No complaints here.

And then I entered the cabin, which to my pleasant surprise, is very modern. There are very few reports of Uzbek Airways, I feel privileged I get to try it.

[SQueeze]

The seats are laid out in 2-1-2 format and design-wise, they are quite similar to some of the mid-2000 versions of business class seats (cradle types).

Leg room is decent and the IFE screen is hugeeee.



All the controls are at the side including charging ports which is convenient and user friendly as everything is in one location and there is no magic of finding things somewhere.



But this area can get crowded when drinks start coming and you have a seat mate.



So the Pre-take off drink was orange juice. And I just love the wet towel cover.



Uzbekistan logo graces the front. I love this design too.



Amenity 'kit' is a simple one.



And the inflight magazine.



They seem to have just got one of the dreamliners delivered and it is making headline news in the magazine. As is the norm these days, economy is 3-3-3. Business class seems to be 2-2-2 similar to Air India.



I check out the fleet page and they apparently still have an Ilyushin type flying.



Their route network is quite wide covering even Singapore and KL but most are not the daily frequency type.



My flight that day was full in business class. From Delhi, 14 of 15 seats were occupied. And the last seat was taken by a passenger boarding in Amritsar.

Economy however was like a ghost flight. A handful in the forward cabin.



There were more in the rear cabin but even there, there were not more than 30 thereabout.

Looks like it's clear how they are making this route work. The business class cabin were mainly filled by Uzbek traders and businessmen. The economy cabin was mainly Indians.

[SQueeze]

As usual, it was a rather foggy winter morning that day. We were parked next to a Finnair which was another consideration of mine.



Soon after we were airborne. And I began exploring the various entertainment options.

First there is the main IFE screen.



But then we were all given iPads as well....



The iPad interface is really colourful which is lively.



And there are tonnes of games in there - a disproportionate amount. Although some movies, magazines are loaded as well.



This tourist feature is quite useful. It shows all the main sights in Uzbekistan. The country has been intriguing me for awhile.



And wow, it's incredible. Definitely in my to-do-list in the next 5 years.



The magazine also contains beautiful pics of Uzbekistan.



For the short one hour hop to Amritsar, a simple snack was served. But urgh... it was dry and barely edible.



Descending into lush and green Amritsar.



And then we docked at the newish terminal.

[SQueeze]

Stopover in Amritsar was one hour and to my surprise, most of the passengers are coming from here.

The economy cabin filled up to full capacity.



So I Guess this is where the market is for both Uzbekistan Airways and Turkmenistan Airlines. Sikhs and Punjabis going to Europe. Curiously, there are very few flights or even none at all from here to the ME3 hubs..... so in order to get to Europe, the one stop service is via Tashkent and Ashgabat, and both of these are serviced almost daily.

The next segment of the journey is more interesting in terms of aerial views. There is a diversity of landscapes within a 2 hour duration.

First we flew over the majestic Indus River.



And shortly after the first sight of the Hindukush range.



Crossing into Afghanistan, the landscape is high and rugged. Gorgeous. I definitely want to visit this country as well.





Flying over Kabul ... its the dark patch on the bottom left.



And then more and more mountains.



We were actually making quite a bit of detour. I wonder if it is to avoid the highest ranges of the Karakoram/Hindukush.



Lunch was served above Afghanistan.



This potato salad was really tasty.



And the chicken breast was moist on the inside and was well-seasoned. Quite spectacular especially after the first meal service which was a flop. I was really impressed.



And the finale - the cake was moist too!

[SQueeze]

Not Long after, we entered Uzbek airspace near Termez where the snowy wonderlands have given way to flat and brown landscape.



We flew past Samarkand - Uzbekistan's most renowned historical city.



And then we started descending across the flat landscape which is mainly Farmland.





Approaching Tashkent.





And we landed pretty much on time in this exotic land with mainly exotic frames.



Disembarkation was by stairs. And on very strict no photo. I snapped a selfie of myself with Uzbek livery at the background and got sternly reprimanded and asked for the selfie to be deleted. Of course I deleted but they wouldn't know I could restore from deleted folder in iCloud.




The only view I could get from the airside is from inside the bus. Here's one Air Astana.



The bus is comfortable. But rather too many curtains.



The transit experience was not as harrowing as I thought it would be. A friendly agent was waiting for me with my onward boarding pass. There were a couple of checks by another agent about my visa requirements and then I was off to go.

[SQueeze]

TAS was stunningly silent on that day - which made it feel even more surreal.





Looking out of the window ... it felt lonely.



The lounge is foreboding.... it 'says' do not come near me.



Surprisingly the interior is newly furnished and modern.



The centrepiece is a fake green wall.



There is also a bar ...



But how lonely ...

No food.



But there were drinks.



Ah... the menu is printed on the table. So I Guess it works by a-la-carte system?



Not really. There was a lounge agent and a bartender. Neither approached me or offered me anything.

I then had 3 hours and I was quite well fed on the flight so I just settled down on one of the seats and tried to do some work but the wifi was poor.

1 plus hour later, I approached the lounge agent (who was reading newspaper) to look for food. She was just ok - neither friendly Nor unfriendly. But she said ok, will deliver the food to my table. I thought I would need to tell her what I wanted, but no. She said she will give me food. Oops. I hope it won't be some bizarre mystery food.

Some moments later, food came. They looked good. But stone cold. Then I found out there was microwave at the snack desk and I was supposed to warm it up myself. Wow, what kind of service.



So I gorged down. They tasted not too bad. And the local beer was good.

I ended my meal with this weirdly-coloured Apple juice - thick and pulpy unlike our usual.

[SQueeze]

Part 2: The 757-200

Airline: Uzbekistan Airways
Flight: HY201
Seat: 3A
Class: Business
Load: 7/22
Type: 757 (VP-BUH)


Soon after I headed towards my gate.

By that time, the airport started to feel abuzz. Afternoon departure bank is mainly westwards: Rome, London, Moscow, etc



My first glimpse of the 757 that would fly me to London - one of my longest flight on a narrow body.



And then I entered the vintage cabin .... why why why is my question. They fly a modern fleet to nearby India but fly one of these old frames on long hauls...



In any case, it was still an interesting experience for me and I couldn't be more excited.

Legroom is decent - like domestic business class within India.



Maximum recline is pretty poor.



Vintage controls. When did the last time I see these?





Overhead monitor. Of course IFE on this flight, just like the previous sectors, is mainly the complimentary iPad use.



Looking back towards economy cabin. It would be almost empty throughout the flight. No more than 30-35 passengers I counted. I could have just sat at the back of the bus rather than pay for the upgrade.



Service started with a thick apricot juice - my first time ever having this fruit juiced. Apricot is a pretty much central Asian thing I think.

[SQueeze]

And then it got interesting with the spotting of unusual frames at this airport.



I couldn't identify most of them. Hopefully someone in this forum could enlighten.











Except the Dreamliner - HY's newest, which was graciously resting side by side its older soviet era predecessor.





Not too long after we took off above dusky Tashkent.



And would be on a Long westward flight towards London traversing 8 countries

[SQueeze]

I started with an offering of local 'champagne' by the friendly Stewardess. Yes, she was very friendly and warm. Technically of course this was sparkling wine. But this tasted gross to me. I could barely drink any of it - too sweet. Well, at the least the stewardess was sweeeeet.



The first meal service was an interesting sight. It looks quite regional and unlike anything else I have ever seen on more mainstream carriers. Visually, i thought this looks like from the eastern bloc of the past.



Cold meat including cold fatty bits. Eeewww.



Cold fish.



Cold salad.



Local condiments





Cheese.



Well .... I have to say the taste was pretty good although it didn't look so to me. Quite happy about it.

I was stuffed after so much food but then there was actually still a main course. I picked beef with rice. Again it didn't look good but it tasted quite ok although the texture was a little weird. In any case, this was not the best in my experience with HY so far. The catering out of India was definitely much better.




I ended the meal with a cup of tea to accompany the dessert as per my usual preference.

[SQueeze]

Beautiful sunset by that time.



And it was time to rest. And yes, the Stewardess came by and she was really sweet. She insisted to unfold the blanket and tuck me into it... that was one good service and I was stunned.



An hour and a half before landing, a small snack service was served.



And then we landed in London in the late evening. And I made full circle, we were parked next to Jet Airways. I could have been on that plane. But I chose a more interesting circuitous route.



Thank you everyone for reading. I hope it has been an enjoyable read. Personally I find the experience on HY better than expected in all areas. I would not hesitate flying with them again especially since their business fares are really good

[MEL-World]

Thanks for an excellent report about an airline and routing I will likely never take.

[banoffi]

Thanks! i enjoyed reading this as it is unlikely I will ever step foot into any of those places or those airlines!

[loldude333]

Very interesting, thanks for this! I believe a good number of the high-winged, 4-engine, high-tailed planes you saw are Illyushin Il-76.

[9V-JKL]

Thanks for sharing these lesser-known carriers!

[SQueeze]

Thank You all for reading and commenting.

Loldude333,

Those indeed might be the Il-76s which is not passenger plane?

Unfortunately (for aviation nuts like me), these and the others on the tarmac there are retired it seems. As per their inflight magazine, only Il-114s are still flying. That must be counting down also. The fleet is rejuvenating.