Editing Transport in Turkmenistan (section)

== Airways ==
{{main|Turkmenistan Airlines|List of airports in Turkmenistan}}
[[File:Turkmenistan Boeing 767-300ER Simon-1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Turkmenistan Airlines]] Boeing 767-300ER.]]
{{See also|:ru:Список аэропортов Туркмении}}
Air service began in 1927 with a route between Chardzhou ([[Türkmenabat]]) and Tashauz ([[Daşoguz|Dashoguz]]), flying German Junkers 13 and Soviet K-4 aircraft, each capable of carrying four passengers. In 1932 an aerodrome was built in Ashgabat on the site of the current Howdan neighborhoods, for both passenger and freight service, the latter mainly to deliver supplies to sulfur mines near [[Darvaza|Derweze]] in the [[Karakum Desert]].<ref name=encyc2>{{cite encyclopedia
  | encyclopedia = Туркменская ССР
  | title = Транспорт / Воздушный транспорт
  | trans-title = Transport / Air transport
  | language = Russian
  | year = 1984
  | publisher = Chuvash Obkom CPSU
  | pages = 237
}}</ref>

Airports serving the major cities of [[Ashgabat]], [[Dashoguz]], [[Mary, Turkmenistan|Mary]], [[Turkmenabat]], and [[Türkmenbaşy, Turkmenistan|Türkmenbaşy]], which are operated by Turkmenistan's civil aviation authority, Türkmenhowaýollary, feature scheduled domestic commercial air service.<ref name=schedule>{{cite web|url=https://turkmenistanairlines.tm/services/timetable|title=TURKMENISTAN AIRLINES Timetable}}</ref><ref name=thy>{{cite web|url=https://caa.gov.tm/ru/item/159|title=ОБЩАЯ ИНФОРМАЦИЯ|language=Russian}}</ref> Under normal circumstances international scheduled commercial air service is limited to Ashgabat.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, international flights take off from and land at Turkmenabat, where quarantine facilities have been established.<ref name=state>{{cite web|url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/turkmenistan-travel-advisory.html | title=Turkmenistan Travel Advisory|date=5 October 2020|publisher=U.S. Department of State}}</ref><ref name=karantin>{{cite news|url=https://turkmen.news/news/karantin-turkmenista/|title=Четырнадцать потерянных дней жизни. О нахождении в карантинном лагере в Туркменабаде|date=2 November 2020|language=Russian|publisher=Turkmen.news}}</ref>

State-owned [[Turkmenistan Airlines]] is the only Turkmen air carrier. Turkmenistan Airlines' passenger fleet is composed only of [[Boeing]] aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ogoniok.com/archive/2001/4680-2/80-20-21/|title=Мы не подведём|publisher=Ogoniok.com|access-date=25 November 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521175039/http://www.ogoniok.com/archive/2001/4680-2/80-20-21/|archive-date=21 May 2013}}</ref> Air transport carries more than two thousand passengers daily in the country.<ref>{{cite web|author=V@DIM |url=http://turkmenistan.gov.tm/?id=715 |title=Могучие крылья страны |publisher=Turkmenistan.gov.tm |access-date=25 November 2013}}</ref> Under normal conditions, international flights annually transport over half a million people into and out of Turkmenistan, and Turkmenistan Air operates regular flights to [[Moscow]], [[London]], [[Frankfurt]], [[Birmingham]], [[Bangkok]], [[Delhi]], [[Abu Dhabi]], [[Amritsar]], [[Kyiv]], [[Lviv]], [[Beijing]], [[Istanbul]], [[Minsk]], [[Almaty]], [[Tashkent]], and [[St. Petersburg]].

Small airfields serve industrial sites near other cities, but do not feature scheduled commercial passenger service.  Airfields slated for modernization and expansion include Garabogaz, Jebel, and Galaymor.<ref name=airport>{{cite news|publisher=Нейтральный Туркменистан|date=14 December 2020|title=Международный тендер на проектирование и строительство нового аэропорта в посёлке городского типа Джебел города Балканабат|language=Russian}}</ref><ref name=galay>{{cite news|url=http://tdh.gov.tm/news/en/articles.aspx&article16348&cat26|title=Aspects of modernization of segments of Turkmenistan's economy are discussed at the session of the Government|date=18 January 2019|publisher=Türkmen Döwlet Habarlary}}</ref><ref name=kerki>{{cite news|url=https://turkmenportal.com/blog/14616/prezident-turkmenistana-provel-sovmestnoe-zasedanie-kabineta-ministrov-i-gossoveta-bezopasnosti|title=Президент Туркменистана провёл совместное заседание Кабинета Министров и Госсовета безопасности|date=19 May 2018|language=Russian|publisher=Turkmenportal}}</ref><ref name=gbogaz>{{cite news|url=https://turkmenportal.com/blog/13377/v-garabogaze-budet-postroen-novyi-aeroport|title=В Гарабогазе будет построен новый аэропорт|publisher=Turkmenportal|language=Russian|date=3 February 2018}}</ref><ref name=jebel2>{{cite news|url=https://turkmen.news/lenta/airport-jebel/|title=Рядом с курортом "Моллакара" в Туркменистане планируют построить аэропорт|date=15 December 2020|language=Russian|publisher=Turkmen.news}}</ref> A new [[Kerki Airport|airport at Kerki]] was commissioned in June 2021 and is slated to begin regular domestic passenger service in January 2022.<ref name=kerki2>{{cite news|url=https://turkmenistan.gov.tm/ru/post/59800/iz-kerki-v-ashhabad-i-dashoguz |title=Из Керки – в Ашхабад и Дашогуз |date=25 December 2021 |language=ru |publisher=Turkmenistan Golden Age}}</ref> The new [[Turkmenabat International Airport]] was commissioned in February 2018.<ref name=tbat>{{cite news|url=http://www.ato.ru/content/v-turkmenabade-postroili-mezhdunarodnyy-aeroport|title=В Туркменабаде построили международный аэропорт|date=14 February 2018|language=Russian|publisher=Авиатранспортное обозрение}}</ref>
In 2014, Turkmenistan had an estimated [[List of airports in Turkmenistan|26 airports]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/turkmenistan/| title = The World Factbook| date = 22 May 2024}}</ref> One heliport was in operation.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|date=February 2007|title=Country Profile: Turkmenistan|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Turkmenistan.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311113115/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Turkmenistan.pdf|archive-date=March 11, 2013|publisher=[[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]]|postscript=. {{PD-notice}}}}</ref>