Aviation History
Kyrgyz civil aviation developed as a regional division of Soviet Aeroflot, based at Manas airport in Bishkek, before independence in 1991 led to the creation of Kyrgyzstan Airlines as the national carrier; it went bankrupt in 2005. Since then, private operators such as Avia Traffic Company (founded 2003) have carried much of the country's traffic. Kyrgyz-registered carriers were placed on the European Union's blanket airline safety ban in October 2006 and remained there for nearly twenty years until being fully removed in June 2026.
Kyrgyzstan gained independence from the USSR, inheriting Soviet-era aviation infrastructure centered on Manas International Airport in Bishkek.
Kyrgyzstan Airlines operated as the national carrier from Manas, formalizing a cooperation agreement with Aeroflot.
Avia Traffic Company was established in Bishkek, later growing into one of Kyrgyzstan's principal carriers, flying to Russia and domestic destinations.
Facing financial collapse, Kyrgyzstan Airlines went bankrupt and was taken over by Altyn Air, rebranded Kyrgyzstan Air Company in 2006.
On 15 October 2006 the European Union placed all Kyrgyzstan-registered airlines on its blanket air safety ban list, citing insufficient regulatory oversight by the national civil aviation authority.
On 9 June 2026, after nearly 20 years, the EU removed all Kyrgyzstan-registered carriers from its Air Safety List, citing improvements in the country's civil aviation oversight.
Kyrgyzstan Airlines (defunct) · Avia Traffic Company · Air Manas · Air Bishkek · Esen Air
Wikipedia, European Commission Air Safety List, aviation trade press