Azerbaijan Airlines, Turkmenistan Airlines and Uzbekistan Airways have all launched flights from the airport in recent weeks, bringing the total number of destinations across Asia and the Middle East served from Gatwick to 12.

These include China, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with additional flights to China and Singapore starting this summer.

Three-times-weekly Baku flights got under way last month, while twice-weekly services to Ashgabat started on Saturday (6 April). Weekly Tashkent flights, meanwhile, commenced on Sunday (7 April).

Uzbek capital Tashkent is a focal point of many Silk Road tours, featuring on a large number of escorted touring itineraries owing to its ancient architecture and the vital role it played in early trading routes.

Stephanie Wear, Gatwick’s vice-president of aviation development, said the new services from three flag-carrying airlines would provide connectivity to “previously underserved markets”.

“We are continuing to develop our long-haul options at London Gatwick and these new routes, while fantastic destinations in their own right, also provide passengers with excellent onward connectivity across Asia," Wear added.

Last month, Gatwick attributed its post-Covid rebound – in part – to its work on developing its long-haul network, posting a pre-tax profit of £403.2million.