The provision of services to more than 342,000 flights in the airspace of Azerbaijan last year, with an increase of 10.5% compared to 2024, clearly demonstrates the reliability of the aviation infrastructure and the strengthening of its position as a regional transport hub.
According to the information provided to Elchi.az from Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the most intensive period of air traffic occurred in the summer months. A historical record was set on August 9, 2025, with the management of 1,101 flights in one day.
During the year, transit flights accounted for 76% of flights – more than 261,000. An increase of approximately 14% was recorded in transit flights. Among the leading global airlines using the airspace of Azerbaijan in transit are Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways, and Lufthansa.
Passenger traffic increased at Heydar Aliyev International Airport
More than 7 million 640 thousand passengers were served at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in 2025.
The number of passengers transported on international routes was 6 million 895 thousand. 51.2% of this volume fell on foreign airlines, and 3 million 362 thousand passengers fell on the national air carrier.
During the year, flights were operated from the airport by 40 foreign airlines to 75 international destinations. The most popular destinations were Istanbul, Tbilisi, Dubai, Ankara, and Moscow.
At the same time, the number of transit passengers transported through Heydar Aliyev International Airport exceeded 974 thousand. This is an increase of approximately 30% compared to the 750 thousand recorded in 2024.
Positive dynamics for the national air carrier AZAL
In 2025, 4.16 million passengers were transported by AZAL airline. The number of passengers on the Baku-Nakhchivan route was 735 thousand. While a 2% increase in passenger turnover was recorded, the number of flights operated on this route increased by 6% to 7,261 flights.
Strengthening aviation infrastructure and international position
2025 was also remembered as an important strategic stage in the aviation history of Azerbaijan. The third international airport built in the liberated territories – Lachin International Airport – was put into operation. This project makes an important contribution to the socio-economic development of the region, as well as to strengthening the position of Karabakh on the country’s aviation map.
At the same time, Heydar Aliyev International Airport was once again awarded the title of “Best Airport in Central Asia and the CIS” within the framework of the “Skytrax World Airport Awards” in 2025, once again confirming its status as the leading airport in the region. The airport also received Level 3 accreditation under the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program, started participating in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) program implemented by ACI World, and successfully passed the APEX in Safety safety assessment.
During this period, the “Azeraeronavigation” Air Traffic Department (AZANS) significantly strengthened its position on international platforms. The agency participated in the CANSO ANSP Summit and the “Airspace World 2025” event, established strategic cooperation with the British NATS organization, and expanded partnership relations with ICAO and other leading international ANSPs. AZANS was also declared the winner in the “Collaboration and Community” nomination within the framework of the “ATM Awards 2024” award.
Thus, the results of 2025 once again confirm that the aviation sector of Azerbaijan is consistently and systematically developing in the direction of international integration, security and strategic leadership.