The first Airbus A321XLR for Uzbek private airline Qanot Sharq has been seen leaving the paint shop at Airbus’s Finkenwerder facility near Hamburg, Germany, ahead of its planned delivery later this year.
Photos shared on social media show the jet in Qanot Sharq’s blue and white livery, complete with a logo promoting Uzbekistan. The aircraft, still bearing a temporary Airbus registration (D-AYAB), is expected to enter service before the end of 2025, marking the first A321XLR to be operated in Central Asia.
It is also the first of three A321XLRs leased by Qanot Sharq from Air Lease Corporation in February 2025, alongside two A321LR aircraft. As of October 2025, the airline’s all-Airbus fleet includes two A320ceo, one A321neo, and two A330 aircraft. Another A320neo is also on order.
Qanot Sharq becomes the 6th operator of the Airbus A321XLR in the world and first Airbus A321XLR operator in the Central Asia that underscores the growing importance of Uzbekistan's aviation industry Globally.#airlines #aircraft #aviation pic.twitter.com/BcpSExe1Fs
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) October 24, 2025
Founded in 2021, Qanot Sharq belongs to a new generation of Uzbek carriers benefiting from the government’s liberalisation of the air travel market and the country’s growing openness to tourism. This shift has led to a surge in visitors and major infrastructure projects, including a new US$2.5 bn international airport in Tashkent, launched by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev earlier this month.
Expanding Horizons: From Tashkent to New York
Qanot Sharq’s ambitions go well beyond regional routes. In October 2025, the airline applied to the US Department of Transportation for permission to operate a twice-weekly service between Tashkent and New York via Budapest.
If approved, it would be the first direct air link between the United States and Central Asia under the existing Open Skies agreement between the two countries, signed in 1998.
With the arrival of the A321XLR, Qanot Sharq is positioning itself as a key player in connecting Uzbekistan to global destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and North America.
