Centrum Air Opens Hambantota Access From Tashkent Oct. 28

Centrum Air will start regular direct flights from Tashkent to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, on October 28, 2026, according to Bright Uzbekistan. The private Uzbek carrier plans two flights a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, through the end of March 2027, using Airbus A320-family aircraft. Tickets are already on sale from UZS 4.3 million on the airline website and in its app.

That date is the booking gate for anyone who wants a nonstop winter hop from Uzbekistan onto Sri Lanka’s south coast instead of connecting through Colombo. Compare schedules and fares on the airline site, then keep a wider view of other airline route changes if you are stacking this trip with India or Pakistan connections.

October 28 Start, Twice Weekly Through March 2027

Bright Uzbekistan reported on September 29 that Centrum Air had opened sales for the Hambantota route, with the first flight set for October 28. The same report says the winter program runs twice a week until the end of March 2027. That window matches the dry season on Sri Lanka’s south coast, which the outlet described as the period for beach stays and surfing.

TurkicWorld, writing on October 1, said ticket sales opened on September 29 and quoted Centrum Air on the purpose of the route: expanding travel between Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka while building the airline’s South Asia network. Treat that as the carrier’s own framing. Load-bearing dates, days of week, aircraft family, and the UZS 4.3 million starting fare still rest on the Bright Uzbekistan account and should be rechecked on centrum-air.com before you pay.

Aviation Voice, a Sri Lanka aviation outlet citing AeroRoutes, published the winter 2026-27 service as a resumption of Tashkent to Mattala flying that Centrum Air last operated until January 2025. The airline told TurkicWorld it would be the first carrier with direct Tashkent to Hambantota flights. Treat October 28 as the next published restart, and confirm the flight number and clock time in the booking path because seasonal tables move.

Hambantota Puts Travelers on Sri Lanka’s South Coast

Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport sits in Hambantota District, well south of Colombo. A nonstop from Tashkent therefore drops you onto the island’s southern coast instead of at Bandaranaike International Airport on the west. That is the practical change. If your hotel, safari, or surf break is around Hambantota, Yala, Mirissa, or Tangalle, you skip a long road transfer from the capital. If your plans are in Colombo, Kandy, or the west-coast resorts, this routing can add a south-to-north transfer you did not have on a Colombo arrival.

Bright Uzbekistan placed Yala National Park near Hambantota and noted whale watching off Mirissa, plus temples and tea country as typical add-ons. Those are destination facts for trip shape, not a promise that Centrum Air sells those tours. Build ground time separately. A Wednesday or Saturday arrival still leaves you with a same-day road move if you want to sleep somewhere other than Hambantota itself.

Return flights in the published AeroRoutes table leave Hambantota in the evening. That can compress a last safari or beach day. If you need a morning departure toward Tashkent, this winter table as printed does not offer one. Hold the hotel through the evening or plan a night in Hambantota before the flight.

Why Centrum Chose Mattala Over Colombo

TurkicWorld reported that Centrum Air had earlier planned flights to Colombo, Sri Lanka’s main international gateway, before settling on Hambantota. The airline’s quoted line talks about South Asia presence, not about a specific hotel or tour operator. For travelers, the choice is geographic. Colombo remains the island’s busiest air hub, with more onward flights and a denser hotel market. Hambantota is the south-coast airport, built as a second international field and still much quieter.

If your trip is a first visit centered on Colombo, the cultural triangle, and the west coast, a Hambantota arrival is a different itinerary. Price the full door-to-door time. If the south coast is the point of the trip, the nonstop is the cleaner product: two weekly frequencies and a seasonal end date of March 2027.

Centrum Air’s English booking FAQ on centrum-air.com says passengers should register on the site, pick date, route, and cabin, then follow the on-screen steps. Changes and cancellations go through the original point of purchase. If you buy on the website, that means the personal account or support. Support is listed at +998 55 518 88 88. Fare rules depend on the tariff you select. The Bright Uzbekistan report adds a 5 percent fare discount when you book in the Centrum Air app.

How to Book and What the Fare Covers

The UZS 4.3 million starting figure is a published from-fare, not a guaranteed round-trip total and not a U.S. dollar quote. Convert it yourself on the day you buy, and read whether it is one way or return in the booking mask. Centrum Air’s own site says refund and change rules vary by fare. Do not assume a leisure ticket to Hambantota is flexible because the route is new.

App versus website is a real cost fork. Bright Uzbekistan said the 5 percent app discount applies to the fare. If you later need to change the ticket, the airline FAQ says you must use the original purchase channel. Buying in the app to save 5 percent can lock you into in-app changes. Buying on the website can make the personal account the change desk. Buying through an agency, which the FAQ also allows, sends you back to that agency. Pick the channel you are willing to use if October weather or a visa delay forces a date move.

Baggage, seat selection, and meals are not spelled out in the two independent reports used here. Open the fare family on centrum-air.com and screenshot the allowance before you pay.

Centrum’s Karachi base-fare change already showed that this airline can strip a cabin bag from the cheapest bucket on another South Asia route. Do not import that Karachi rule onto Hambantota. Check the Hambantota fare bundle as its own contract.

Centrum’s South Asia Map After Hyderabad

TurkicWorld placed Hambantota inside a broader South Asia push. Centrum Air launched Tashkent to Hyderabad on September 28, and the same report lists Delhi plus Karachi and Lahore in Pakistan as existing points. Deep Arrival’s Hyderabad launch note is the same-week companion for anyone connecting Uzbekistan with India. Hambantota is the Sri Lanka piece of that map, not a substitute for Hyderabad.

That pattern is useful if you are building a two-stop winter. A Tashkent hub with Wednesday and Saturday Sri Lanka flights plus separate India and Pakistan frequencies can support a triangle, but only if the days line up. Two weekly Hambantota flights leave little slack. Miss Wednesday and you wait until Saturday. Miss Saturday and you wait until the next Wednesday, unless you abandon the nonstop and buy a connecting ticket through another hub.

The March 2027 end date is as important as the October 28 start. Bright Uzbekistan described the service as running through the end of March 2027, not as a year-round route. If your return is in April, do not assume a Centrum nonstop will still be on the table. Book both directions inside the published season or have a connecting backup on a carrier that still serves Colombo.