Dushanbe - Khorog flight Q&A

[steven]

Got this in my inbox:

I went to the Tajik air office today to inquire about the flights from Dushanbe to Khorog they are no longer flying this route or return.
But they are willing to put on a private helicopter for $900.

Can anyone confirm?

[bwv812]

Someone wrote a bit earlier that airplane flights had been halted but that helicopter flights were (or were going to be) available.

http://caravanistan.com/forum/viewtopic ... orog#p9607

C'mon Steven: use the search function!

[steven]

Embarassing...

Couple of days behind reading forum posts and already look like an idiot. But anyway, this poster was someone else than the guy I got the e-mail from.

In short: it seems it stopped working. Will check with Pamiri contacts.

[rfoltz]

I can confirm that there are no more scheduled flights between Dushanbe and Khorog. I was told that "the plane got too old". I suggested to my Ismaili colleagues in Khorog that they should ask the Aga Khan to donate a plane for this route. After all, he is spending $95 million to build a new university there, so you would think he could spring for a plane to enable people to reach it.
A friend did manage to get a seat on a helicopter flight (irregular) the other day but I don't know how much she paid. I went both ways by road, about 13 hours in each direction and very bumpy. The views of Afghan villages were worth it, though!

[eigenvector]

Wow, I just came here to ask if anyone had a recent update on the flights and now I see that it is cancelled. Thanks for the updated information. Once again Caravanistan is the most reliable source on the Internet.

[bwv812]

Airplane flights are cancelled, but I believe that there is still the chance to take the helicopter.

[steven]

I suggested to my Ismaili colleagues in Khorog that they should ask the Aga Khan to donate a plane for this route. After all, he is spending $95 million to build a new university there, so you would think he could spring for a plane to enable people to reach it.

The main issue is political, I think, with the government in Dushanbe doing everything they can to screw over the Pamirs. I am sure the Aga Khan would be able to pony up the money. But I am not sure if the plane was actually too old (although it is, without a doubt, old).

[eigenvector]

Here are some articles regarding the flight cancellation (due to maintenance problems with the aircraft) and resumption with helicopter:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news ... -with-mi-8

Flights along the difficult Dushanbe - Khorog route has been reinstated by Tajik Air (7J, Dushanbe), but due to problems in servicing its An-28 it has deployed an Mi-8 Mil Helicopter helicopter on the route instead, reports Asia Plus.

http://news.tj/en/news/tajikistan/econo ... 117/233320

In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Faizullo Sattorov Deputy Director General, Tajik Air, on July 23, 2015 called the Dushanbe-Khorog flight as one of the most difficult ones in the world and emphasized that, despite the difficulties, the flight is unprofitable for Tajik Air. Mr. Sattorov assured that except for AN-28, they cannot use any other airliners for this destination.

[mimazu]

So does anyone know exactly how much this flight with the helicopter really costs? On the one hand the articles say, it should be around 615 tjs, but on the other hand, as I've read in some other topics here, some of you paid 800 Dollars...

[bwv812]

So does anyone know exactly how much this flight with the helicopter really costs? On the one hand the articles say, it should be around 615 tjs, but on the other hand, as I've read in some other topics here, some of you paid 800 Dollars...

$800 was to charter the entire helicopter for a time when it wouldn't otherwise be running.