Uzbekistan Airways is the flag carrier of Uzbekistan, flying from Tashkent to a network that runs from East Asia to Europe, with Istanbul a busy trunk and a nonstop to New York as the route that defines the long-haul fleet. It is a serious full-service operation in a part of the map many travellers never think about until an itinerary sends them through it.

The fleet logic is tidy. Airbus narrowbodies in several fits cover the regional web, a veteran 767 bridges the medium long-haul and two differently fitted 787-8s carry the flagship routes. The airline's habit of flying the same type in both two-cabin and all-economy versions means the layout matters as much as the aircraft type on any booking.

Fleet & aircraft

The narrowbody business cabins are the real thing: two-by-two recliners in their own section on the A320, A320neo and A321neo, wider chairs rather than blocked middles. Alongside them fly true single-class fits of the same types, so the presence of a business cabin depends on the individual aircraft rather than the route.

The widebodies tell a three-product story. The 767 carries an angle-flat business in a two-one-two with a line of solo centre seats; one 787 flies a long staggered lie-flat cabin, the roomiest bed in the fleet; the other 787 wears a more compact Diamond flat-bed. All three sell as business class, and they are not the same night's sleep.

Cabin experience

Short-haul, the recliner cabins do what recliners do: a wide chair and a calmer cabin on sectors of one to four hours. Economy across the narrowbodies is a standard three-by-three, tighter on the dense fits, with the family quirk that a bulkhead row is sometimes shallower than its legroom marking implies.

Long-haul, the staggered 787 is the airline at its strongest: proper flat beds with direct aisle access, and stretch room that surprises people who boarded with modest expectations. The Diamond 787 still lies flat in less space, and the 767 reclines deep without reaching level, an older product doing steady work.

Seat selection tips

Long-haul, find out which 787 is scheduled to operate before paying for anything, because the two business cabins differ more than the fare pages suggest, and route yourself onto the staggered fit when sleep is the point. On the 767, the solo centre column is the pick for anyone travelling alone, and window bookers should choose exact seats because misplaced and missing panes are scattered down the fuselage.

Short-haul, remember the dense single-class fits hide a shallow front bulkhead: the marked legroom row up front is not always the space it appears, and the exit band tends to beat it. Recline pinned in the rows just ahead of each exit band is a family trait across the fleet.