Outsize cargo convergence in Central Asia.(feature focus: Outsize Cargo)

Centuries ago the flow of goods from China to the Middle East and Europe created flourishing centers of commerce and learning in Central Asia. Today cities like Bokhara or Samarkand are mere shadows of their former glory, but new transit points are taking shape in places like Navoi in Uzbekistan, which is vying to establish itself as a logistics hub.

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Navoi International Airport has a powerful external backer--Korean Air, in recent years the world's leading international air cargo carrier. It brought B747-400 freighter service to the airport in September of last year, as a stopover en route from Seoul to Milan, and increased the frequency eight months later. On the passenger side, Korean launched B777-200 flights from its home base to Tashkent and on to Cairo last September, which run three times per week.

The airline's involvement in the development of Navoi goes way beyond slotting freighters through the airport. Last year it signed an agreement with the Uzbekistan government to jointly turn the airport into an airfreight hub. The Korean carrier has provided technical support and assumed a leading role in the construction of the cargo terminal and its operation.

Korean is also working with Uzbekistan Airways and has championed the smaller …