Our internal flight on Turkmenistan Airlines from its capital, Ashgabat to Mary was unfortunately at the unearthly hour of 6.20am, and although the airport is relatively well located in the city and only a 20-minute drive, our alarm was set for 3.30am.
The current airport was unveiled in 2016, and like all buildings in Ashgabat, it was white, with the roof in the shape of a flying falcon, echoing the design of their national carrier. International departures were from one ‘wing’ and domestic flights the other.
On entering the terminal building, luggage was screened, and shoes had to be removed. Check in was slick, passports were checked, and hand luggage screened once again.
Unlike the single room in Uzbekistan’s airport in Tashkent, we were in an impressive terminal building with proper gates and various relaxed seating styles, including some which reclined so far, they were like a flat bed. We began boarding an hour before, with direct access to the plane and we set off on time.
The configuration was 3 x 3, and we’d opted for seats across the aisle in row 9 which came with reasonable leg room. During the 40-minute flight, bottles of water were served which was practical and efficient.
We landed at Mary at 7.15am ready for our sightseeing tour of Ancient Merv, Turkmenistan’s first UNESCO site.
