The proposed resumption of direct flights between Pakistan and Turkmenistan could open a new channel for trade and business connectivity with Central Asia, alongside road and rail routes that traders increasingly view as unreliable.
Pakistan and Turkmenistan are considering restarting cargo and commercial flights between Islamabad and Ashgabat.
The proposal comes at a time when trade between the two countries remains limited despite their geographical proximity.
Official trade data showed that Pakistan exported about $1.18 million worth of goods to Turkmenistan and imported $5.87 million in FY2025-26, taking total bilateral trade to around $7.05 million.
Sabz Ali Khan, Director at the Directorate General of Trade Organization, said improved air connectivity could create another route for moving people, goods and business services while strengthening commercial links with Central Asia.
He said the existing trade volume also showed room for Pakistani exporters to identify products in demand in Turkmenistan instead of relying on the narrow range of goods currently traded.
He said better trade facilitation, transport connectivity, market intelligence, business-to-business linkages and participation in trade exhibitions could help Pakistani exporters tap this underused market.
The importance of alternative connectivity has grown as disruptions on Pakistan’s traditional overland route through Afghanistan have exposed the weakness of access to Central Asian markets.
According to the Asian Development Bank’s CAREC corridor monitoring data, average road border-crossing times across the network rose from 6.3 hours in 2010 to 14.1 hours in 2024.
The Asian Development Bank recently approved a $400 million regional facility to modernise border crossings and reduce transport and logistics costs across CAREC economies.
Khan said such constraints make multimodal connectivity increasingly important for Pakistan.
He pointed to Pakistan’s trade arrangements with Uzbekistan and said bilateral links with Central Asian states should be seen as part of a broader regional transit network rather than isolated trade relationships.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan already have a Preferential Trade Agreement and an Agreement on Transit Trade, which provide a framework for expanding commercial and transport links.
He said Uzbekistan’s central location could help connect Pakistani businesses with other Central Asian markets, but sustainable trade would require predictable transit rules, efficient customs clearance and alternative routes when corridors are disrupted.
The same concerns were highlighted at the September CAREC meetings in Mongolia, where Pakistan called for CAREC Corridors 5 and 6 to develop into integrated economic corridors linking Central Asia with the Arabian Sea through logistics, rail, road and port infrastructure.
Rana Asif Khan, Founder President of the International Road Transport Chamber of Pakistan, said greater use of multimodal cargo systems could further improve regional connectivity by combining air, road and maritime transport.
He said a recently introduced multimodal cargo model had created an additional option for cross-border trade, especially for shipments moving between different transport modes under a more integrated documentation framework.
According to him, the model is currently centred on Karachi, and extending it to Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta and Gwadar could widen Pakistan’s regional logistics network.
He said direct air and multimodal links would be especially useful for time-sensitive and high-value cargo, while road, rail and maritime routes would continue to handle larger trade volumes.
For Pakistan, the proposed Islamabad-Ashgabat flights would therefore matter more as part of a wider regional connectivity network than as a standalone solution.
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