In recent days, Kyrgyzstan has experienced issues with air travel due to heavy fog. Flights were canceled, and passengers were refunded for their tickets. It was particularly difficult at Manas International Airport, where fog hindered not only takeoffs but also landings. As a result, some flights were redirected to other airports, such as Issyk-Kul, Almaty, Tashkent, and Osh.
According to the press service of the Airports of Kyrgyzstan JSC, such weather conditions were previously more common in the southern part of the country, but now fog has become a problem for Bishkek as well.
"For safe takeoffs and landings, visibility of at least 800 meters is required; however, at the moment, it was only 400 meters at Manas," the company's representatives reported.
Despite this, there is positive news — authorities are working on a solution to the problem.
Altynbek Mametov, the director of infrastructure and regional development at Airports of Kyrgyzstan JSC, stated that by the end of January 2026, a new system will be implemented at Manas Airport that will improve the fog situation by upgrading the category of light signaling equipment from the first to the third.
The same equipment is being installed at Karakol International Airport. The launch there is expected in February 2026; however, due to early snowfall, installation is slightly delayed.
Mametov also noted that light signaling systems are necessary not only for combating fog but also for lighting during nighttime.
"We plan to use these technologies to illuminate the runway at night. Foreign experience shows that such systems significantly increase the level of flight safety. Although the state is installing equipment of the highest category, effectiveness also depends on the skills of pilots and flight attendants. All international flights arriving in Kyrgyzstan meet these requirements," he emphasized.
"Some may wonder why the equipment is being installed first in Karakol, where fog is less frequent. This is because construction work is currently underway at the airport, and to avoid returning to this later, we decided to install everything at once," he explained.
The next phase will begin at Osh International Airport, where installation will start in March 2026. Due to the scale of this airport, the work will be more complex compared to Karakol. While work is being carried out in Osh, some flights may be canceled, so the airports of Manas and Karakol must be ready for backup operations. First, we will complete the work in Karakol and Manas, and then the equipment will be installed in other regional airports," he concluded.
