Airport hub guide
Tashkent International TAS: the complete layover guide
Two separate terminals, one genuinely good new lounge, wifi that wants your phone number, and a capital city 15 minutes from the curb. Tashkent has rough edges. It also rewards anyone who leaves the building.
Layover verdict Fine for 2 to 5 hour daytime layovers now that the Anjir lounge exists, weak for overnights, and genuinely rewarding with 6 hours or more if you qualify for visa free entry, because the city center is only about 8 km away.
Best lounge play The Anjir Business Lounge in Terminal 2, open since February 2025, takes Priority Pass and sells entry from around 42 US dollars. It is a major upgrade on anything this airport offered before.
The one thing to know Terminal 2 international and Terminal 3 domestic are separate buildings on opposite sides of the airfield with no airside link. Any international to domestic transfer means immigration, a road journey, and a fresh check in.
Last reviewed 19 May 2026
Quick facts
Tashkent at a glance
| Terminals | 2 passenger terminals: Terminal 2 (international) and Terminal 3 (domestic), physically separate buildings |
| Airside transit between terminals | No. All transfers happen landside by road, about 5 to 10 minutes by taxi |
| Free wifi | Yes, but login needs an SMS code sent to your phone, and reliability is inconsistent |
| Sleep friendliness | Poor. No rest zones; the Qo'noq capsule sleep lounge in the Terminal 2 transit area sells beds and showers |
| Lounge count | 1 independent lounge in Terminal 2: the Anjir Business Lounge, open 24 hours |
| City center distance | About 8 km, 15 to 20 minutes by taxi via the Yandex Go app |
Orientation
How Tashkent airport is laid out
Tashkent International, officially Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport, is Uzbekistan's main gateway and the busiest airport in the country. It is compact, occasionally chaotic, and parked on the southern edge of the capital, about 8 km from the center.
The setup is unusual. International flights use Terminal 2 on one side of the airfield. Domestic flights use Terminal 3 on the other side. They are not connected airside, not connected by walkway, and not within sensible walking distance of each other. If your itinerary mixes an international leg with a domestic hop to Samarkand or Bukhara, you are doing a landside road transfer. Plan for it.
Terminal 2 has been under rolling reconstruction for years. A new departure hall opened in September 2024, and the larger project aims to merge the arrival and departure buildings into a single complex of around 105,000 square meters, doubling capacity from 1,200 to 2,400 passengers per hour. Official timelines pointed to completion around the end of 2025; the current state of the works is to be confirmed, so expect some construction traces and rerouted walkways on the day you fly.
There is a bigger change on the horizon. In October 2025 Uzbekistan broke ground on an entirely new Tashkent international airport in the Tashkent region, planned as the largest in Central Asia with capacity for 20 million passengers a year and a first phase budgeted at roughly 2.5 billion dollars. The target opening is around 2028. Until then, the current airport carries everything.
Getting into the city is the easy part. Order a car on the Yandex Go app and a ride to the center costs roughly 25,000 to 55,000 som, which is about 2 to 4.50 US dollars, in 15 to 20 minutes. Ignore the drivers who approach you in arrivals quoting many times that. Tashkent has a metro, and it is cheap and worth seeing in its own right, but it does not reach the airport; bus 40 connects the airport to the main train station and the metro network in about 30 minutes if you want the budget route.
The other reason TAS layovers work: Uzbekistan runs visa free entry of up to 30 days for around 90 nationalities, including the UK, most EU states, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia and, from 1 January 2026, the United States. Several other nationalities qualify for a 5 day visa free transit stay when arriving through an international airport. Rules shift, so verify before travel.
Terminal by terminal
What each terminal gives you
Terminal 2, the international terminal
Everything international happens here: Uzbekistan Airways long haul, Turkish Airlines, flydubai, Air Astana and the rest. Once you clear immigration and security, the airside area is modest by hub standards, with a duty free run, a few cafes, and seating that mostly comes with fixed armrests. The headline is the Anjir Business Lounge near gates B5 to B11 on the second floor, open since February 2025. It covers 427 square meters, seats around 116 people, runs 24 hours, and offers hot food, showers and proper workspace. Access works with Priority Pass, LoungeKey and DragonPass, with business class entry for Turkish Airlines and Air Astana passengers, and paid entry from about 42 US dollars. The upper floor is reserved for business class passengers and holders of certain premium cards issued in Uzbekistan, so most visitors sit downstairs. For sleep, the Qo'noq sleep lounge in the transit zone sells capsule beds and showers by the block, transit passengers only. The free wifi requires an SMS code to log in, which is a real problem if your phone has no roaming; download what you need before you board your inbound flight.
Terminal 3, the domestic terminal
The domestic terminal opened in 2011 and was built for about 400 passengers per hour, which tells you most of what you need to know. It serves the internal network to Samarkand, Bukhara, Urgench, Nukus, Fergana and a handful of other cities, almost entirely on Uzbekistan Airways and its regional offshoots. Facilities are thin: a cafe or two, basic seating, no lounge worth planning around. Security and check in are usually quick because the building is small, but queues spike when two departures bunch together. Arrive about 90 minutes before a domestic flight and you will have time to spare.
Getting between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3
The terminals sit on opposite sides of the runway, so every transfer is a road journey around the airfield perimeter. A taxi takes 5 to 10 minutes and drivers typically ask around 25,000 som for the hop; ordering through Yandex Go is cheaper and removes the negotiation. A free airport shuttle has been reported running between the terminals roughly once an hour during daytime, and local buses also link the two for about 2,000 som in cash, though shuttle timings are to be confirmed and an hourly frequency is useless on a tight connection. For an international arrival connecting to a domestic flight, allow at least 2 hours: you clear immigration, collect bags, cross the airfield by road, and check in again from zero.
Your layover, planned
The TAS guides
Tashkent layover guide, hour by hour
What 3, 5 and 8 hours actually buy you at TAS, including whether a plov run into the city is realistic. With visa free entry and Yandex Go, it usually is.
Check lounge access for TAS
The Anjir Business Lounge in Terminal 2 takes Priority Pass and sells entry at the door, so you do not need status or a business class ticket to use it. Compare your access options, prices and hours before you fly.
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FAQ
Tashkent layover questions
Can I sleep overnight at Tashkent airport?
Terminal 2 operates around the clock and nobody will move you on, but there are no rest zones and most seating has fixed armrests. The realistic option is the Qo'noq sleep lounge in the Terminal 2 transit area, which sells capsule beds and showers to transit passengers. Book ahead, because the overnight flight banks fill it quickly.
Does the Tashkent airport lounge take Priority Pass?
Yes. The Anjir Business Lounge in Terminal 2, open since February 2025, accepts Priority Pass, LoungeKey and DragonPass, and sells entry at the door from around 42 US dollars. It runs 24 hours and sits near gates B5 to B11 after security.
Is wifi free at Tashkent airport?
There is a free network, but logging in requires an SMS code sent to your phone, which is a problem for travelers without roaming. Performance is inconsistent even once you connect. Treat it as a bonus, not a plan, and download anything important before you land.
Can I leave the airport during a layover at TAS?
Around 90 nationalities, including the UK, most EU states, Japan and, from January 2026, the United States, get visa free entry to Uzbekistan for up to 30 days, and some other nationalities qualify for a 5 day visa free transit stay when arriving by air. The city center is 15 to 20 minutes away by taxi. Rules change, so verify before travel.
How do I avoid taxi scams at Tashkent airport?
Order through the Yandex Go app instead of negotiating with the drivers who approach you in arrivals, who routinely quote several times the going rate. A ride to the city center should cost roughly 25,000 to 55,000 som, which is about 2 to 4.50 US dollars. Follow the app to the marked pickup point outside the terminal.
How do I transfer between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 at TAS?
The terminals sit on opposite sides of the airfield with no airside link, so every transfer happens landside by road. A taxi takes 5 to 10 minutes, and a free shuttle and local buses also connect the two, though shuttle timings are to be confirmed. Allow at least 2 hours for an international to domestic connection, since you clear immigration and check in again.
Nearby
Related airports
Almaty International (ALA)
The other big Central Asian hub, about 90 minutes away by air. More connections, a similar taxi app culture, and much colder winters.
Tbilisi International (TBS)
A common pairing on Caucasus and Silk Road itineraries. Small, open all night, and an easy run into a city built for short visits.
Istanbul Airport (IST)
The mega hub that feeds most European traffic into Tashkent. A different planet in scale; read the guide before any tight connection there.
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