Mission and Activities

The Transit Center at Manas International Airport is a transportation and logistics hub established to support international efforts to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.

The Center opened on December 16, 2001.  Since then it has hosted forces from Australia, Denmark, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United States.   The United States Government is grateful to the Government of Kyrgyzstan for its continued willingness to host U.S. and other forces at Manas and for the Government of Kyrgyzstan’s important contributions to operations in Afghanistan.

An agreement between the United States Government and the Government of Kyrgyzstan permitting use of Manas International Airport as a Transit Center (“the Agreement”) was concluded in May 2009 and entered into force on July 14, 2009.  The Parliament of Kyrgyzstan ratified the Agreement on June 25, 2009.  In accordance with the terms of the Agreement, the United States and Kyrgyzstan consult on all matters pertaining to the Transit Center including protection of the environment, health and human safety, and local procurement. The United States assists Kyrgyzstan with the upkeep and maintenance of the International Airport.  Given the importance of the Transit Center for ongoing international military operations in Afghanistan, the United States has agreed to provide $60 million per year in quarterly installments for use of the International Airport and facilities for the Transit Center and as reimbursement for mutually agreed logistics support.  All payments are made directly to the Government of Kyrgyzstan in accordance with the Agreement.

The U.S. Embassy in Bishkek and the U.S. military continue to work closely with the Government of Kyrgyzstan to ensure that operations at the Transit Center are consistent with the terms of the Agreement.  U.S. military personnel at the Transit Center are mindful of the needs of the local community and contribute regularly to humanitarian efforts in Kyrgyzstan. U.S. airmen from the Transit Center recently visited an orphanage at Krasnorechenskaya Boarding School to deliver food and clothing.  They also donated flour, oil, rice, and pasta for the 270 children at the Sokulukskaya Special Boarding School and orphanage.

The Transit Center at Manas remains a symbol of the friendship of the peoples of Kyrgyzstan and the United States and of the ongoing cooperation between the two countries toward the common goal of peace and stability in Afghanistan.