Dushanbe International Airport

Dushanbe International Airport (IATA: DYU, ICAO: UTDD) is an airport in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. Dushanbe Airport is a main hub for Somon Air and Tajik Air. Tajik Air has its head office on the property. A new terminal (which can serve 1.5 million passengers a year) opened on 3 September 2014.

History

In 1924 the first airport was built in the country, in the city currently known as Dushanbe. In November 1929 a new airport was built to serve Stalinabad (past name of Dushanbe). In 1964 the current airport complex was put into operation. Over the years the airport has been reconstructed several times. A new French-built terminal, which can serve 1.5 million passengers a year, was opened on 3 September 2014.

Airport reconstruction

Work has begun on upgrading facilities at the airport. Funds made available from unnamed sources will finance enhancements to the runway and apron and the upgrade of the terminal buildings (originally built in 1964) to handle modern western aircraft. A new airport has been scheduled to be built to the west of Dushanbe by Indian contractors, allowing the current Dushanbe International Airport to be converted in the future to a VIP airport.

Dushanbe

Dushanbe (Tajik: Душанбе, Persian: دوشنبه‎‎) is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. Dushanbe means Monday in the Persian language. It was so named because it grew from a village that originally had a popular market on Mondays. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe (Russian: Дюшамбе), and from 1929 to 1961 as Stalinabad (Tajik: Сталинобод, Persian: استالین‌آباد‎‎). As of 2014, Dushanbe has a population of 778,500.

History

Situated at the confluence of two rivers, Varzob and Kofarnihon, Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan. Although archaeological remnants dating to the 5th century BC have been discovered in the area, there is little to suggest that Dushanbe was more than a small village until the early 20th century.

The first written mention of the village Dushanbe found at the end of 1676. It was at the crossroads, where a large bazaar occurred on Mondays, hence the name Dushanbe-Bazar (Tajik: Душанбе Бозор, Dushanbe Bozor; Persian: دوشنبه بازار‎‎) from Dushanbe, which means Monday in the Persian language. In the village, there were more than 500 households and a population of about 8,000 people.