I just had the chance to fly Turkmenistan Airlines, fulfilling a dream I’ve had for years (isn’t it everyone’s dream?!). I already shared some thoughts on my Turkmenistan Airlines 777 business class flight, and now I’d like to talk about my experience transiting Ashgabat International Airport (ASB).
I’ve heard people say it’s the world’s strangest airport, and I can confirm that — it’s definitely the most unusual airport I’ve ever been to! The airport feels like it’s designed to accommodate 10x the amount of traffic it actually gets, and for much of the day, I imagine there are more guards just randomly standing around than passengers.
Transiting Ashgabat Airport is delightfully strange
I landed in Ashgabat Airport at 3:40AM, which is rush hour at the airport, with roughly three flights arriving around the same time, so it was about as slammed as the airport gets. Well, the airport still looked like the below — it was a ghost town!
There was transit security, which required walking through an x-ray and having your bags scanned. However, there was no one actually staffing the x-ray, so everyone just walked through as the x-ray beeped, and nothing was done. So that seems… umm… kind of pointless, no?
There was a small group in front of me in line traveling from London Gatwick (LGW) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL), and one of the guys said “I thought we were connecting in Istanbul.” Oy. I wonder how common of a mistake that is, where people book a ticket thinking they’re flying Turkish Airlines, and not Turkmenistan Airlines.
The airport’s main terminal area is along one long corridor. The airport is super shiny and bright, but there’s not much beneath the surface. There are a few duty free shops and cafes (only some of which are open), though don’t expect any big brands.
Upon arrival I followed the signage toward the business class lounge, which required walking to the far end of the terminal.
I took the escalator upstairs, and it looked like this is where all the action was — the business class lounge, the transit hotel, and an internet cafe, all in the same area… score!
The only catch was that the business class lounge here was closed (like, seemingly permanently).
As was the airport hotel.
As was the internet cafe.
Speaking of internet, don’t expect you’ll be able to connect to the outside world in Ashgabat, at least via Wi-Fi (my T-Mobile plan also doesn’t offer free roaming there). The standard airport Wi-Fi requires having a local phone number.
So I headed back downstairs. One of the “good” things about Ashgabat Airport is that there’s no shortage of staff. Specifically, there are endless security (I’m not sure if they’re police, military, or what — they all have those massive hats that are common in Central Asia) — there’s one stationed at the end of each moving walkway.
I tried to ask for directions to the business class lounge, and there was a language barrier, but eventually I was pointed in exactly the opposite direction, right where I came from. This airport has two lounges?!?
Side note — can I just say how bad I feel for these security guards? I can’t imagine having to clock in every day and just standing still in an empty airport for hours on end with nothing to do. It makes me grateful that I get to do what I love for a living… in this case, flying and transiting Ashgabat Airport. 😉
The Ashgabat Airport lounge was also an experience
The business class lounge at Ashgabat Airport was quite the experience as well. As you enter the lounge, there’s a speaker there playing what I can only describe as some sort of club music (not airport “club” music, but, like, real club music). That’s not exactly what I was expecting before 4AM, but I’ll take it!
The front desk wasn’t actually staffed — instead, the attendant was sitting in the back corner of the lounge having a drink. However, she’d slowly walk up as she saw people arriving, to briefly glance at their boarding pass.
The lounge almost feels like the area outside a hotel conference room, or something.
The food was basic…
…well, for the most part.
But I was careful, since I wondered how long that food had been sitting out there.
You know the real luxury of the lounge, though? It has Wi-Fi! I was delighted to be able to connect, since I didn’t think that would be possible. However, Turkmenistan’s internet is heavily restricted, and none of the “mainstream” VPNs I use worked.
Bottom line
Ashgabat Airport was everything I had hoped and heard. The airport is large, bright, and shiny, with very few passengers, and a lot of guards. Don’t expect Wi-Fi or much in the way of amenities. I’ve been to various places in Central Asia (I think it’s one of the most fascinating regions in the world), but Ashgabat Airport was on a different level in terms of its strangeness.
What do you make of Ashgabat Airport?