Launch of the Tashkent?Riga?New York flight will open new opportunities for wide and fruitful cooperation between Uzbekistan and Latvia, as well as bring peoples of the two countries closer, Vice Prime Minister of Latvia Ainars Slesers said.

?We have great expectations for further cooperation with Uzbekiston Havo Yollari air company. We believe that the link with the East will bring mutually beneficial results both to Uzbekistan and Latvia,? he told a press conference in Riga. ?We are planning to develop this route, and our further cooperation will be aimed at attraction of passenger flows from Baltic states and South-East Asia. For Riga, this is a very profitable and convenient route,? he noted.

After the visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Latvia in April, Uzbekistan Airways specialists visited this country?s capital in July and carried out an audit of Riga airport, deputy director general of the national air company Javdat Saidov said. ?Riga airport successfully passed aviation security test and TSA, and the United States gave an agreement on conduction of the Riga?New York flight,? he said.

The sides solved all technical issues on establishment of the Uzbek air company?s representation office in Latvian capital, as well as issues of passengers, luggage and cargo services, flight safety, on-board food supply, passenger registration service, transfer and transit services. In late July, management of the Aviation Department of the Latvian Transport Ministry and Air Baltic air company visited Tashkent. The sides agreed that Latvia would provide the fifth air space on Riga?New York route for five years, and on joint use of Tashkent?Riga route.

Memorandum of understanding between the aviation authorities of Uzbekistan and Latvia was also signed during that visit.

The first Tashkent?Riga?New York flight was carried out on 31 October. The flights are conducted on Boeing-767 liners three times a week.