Travel: Flights to Bishkek

Bishkek's Manas Airport is a thirty minute drive from the city center. Most of the international flights depart and arrive at very early hours of the morning. Bishkek Manas Airport (English)

Aeroflot flies daily to Moscow's Sheremyetvo where you can connect to the rest of Asia and Europre. They no longer fly the uncomfortable Tu-154, but the newer Airbus 320, making the five hour flight much more comfortable. In the summer a second daytime flight is operated four days a week.

British Airways (operated by British Med) flies four days a week to London Heathrow with a fuel stop in Yerevan, Armenia. It is nearly an 11 hour flight and you are not allowed to leave the plane during the fuel stop.

Turkish Airlines flies four days a week to Istanbul, Turkey.

There are additional flights on local carriers to the following cities:

 *Urumqi, China  *Ekaterinburg, Russia  *Dushanbe, Tajikistan  *Tashkent, Uzbekistan  *Novissibirsk, Russia  *Dubai, UAE 

There are also occasional charter flights to Seoul, New Delhi, Sharjah, and Kabul.

There are also flights to the following domestic locations:

 *Osh  *Jalalabad  *Kerben  *Batken 

Beware that Kyrgyz airlines do not operate sufficient on western standards and most are banned from flying over or to the Eurpean Union.

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Residents of the US and most European countries can purchase a 30 day visa at the airport for $30 on arrival.

While there are occasional reports of requests for bribes or hassling of passengers, it is very rare. Airport personnel are generally formal and sometimes hospitable.

There is an ATM is the basement of the airport and several small cafes open around the clock.

Manas Airport is also home to a US Air Force Base that provides logistics support to the forces in Afghanistan. You will see American fuel tankers and cargo jets sitting along side old soviet passenger jets.

Beware: There are many aggressive taxi drivers awaiting all flights. The normal rate charged by the major taxi companies to the city center is 350 soms (~$9-10). You should attempt to get a similar rate when arriving.