Anxious night for AZAL flight over St. Petersburg Hours of tension and applause for professionalism

The Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Airbus A320, which made an emergency landing in St. Petersburg on October 20, first took to the skies on December 21, 2006 during factory testing and entered service in 2007. Since 2011, the aircraft has been part of the Azerbaijan Airlines fleet. By aviation standards, this aircraft is not considered old: such planes, with regular maintenance, can operate successfully for up to 30 years and are known for their high reliability.

The incident involving AZAL flight J2-20, en route from St. Petersburg to Baku, drew Caliber.Az’s attention to the aircraft involved in the flight. It was an Airbus A320-214 (named “Kurdamir” after the city of the same name in Azerbaijan) with registration number 4K-AZ84 — one of the tested and reliable airliners of the national carrier.

Photo: Jetphotos, Kayra D., 14.08.2024

The aircraft has a serial number of 3006. Its first operator was the German airline Air Berlin (registration D-ABDM). Later, in 2009, it was transferred to Belair Airlines (registration HB-IOU).

Photo: Peter Leu, May 26, 2007

On June 14, 2011, the aircraft was officially commissioned into service with AZAL and received its Azerbaijani registration number 4K-AZ84, under which it continues to operate to this day.

In recent days, the aircraft had been actively operating flights on routes between Baku and Moscow, Baku and Istanbul, Baku and Tbilisi, as well as Baku and St. Petersburg. Between October 15 and 19 alone, it completed at least seven scheduled flights, including J2-275/276 (Baku–Istanbul–Baku) and J2-219 (Baku–St. Petersburg). It was the return flight — J2-20 from St. Petersburg to Baku, operated by the same aircraft 4K-AZ84 — that ended with an emergency landing at Pulkovo Airport.

The cabin configuration is designed to accommodate 156 passengers: 12 in business class and 144 in economy class. The aircraft is powered by two CFM56-5B4/P turbofan engines manufactured by the French-American company CFM International — one of the most reliable and widely used engine families for the Airbus A320 series.

At the time of the incident, the aircraft was 18 years and 9 months old, which corresponds to the average service age for this type of airliner. With regular maintenance procedures (A-check, C-check), such aircraft remain fully airworthy and continue to be operated by dozens of airlines worldwide.

According to publicly available information, during the night of October 20, the crew stopped climbing at flight level FL060 (approximately 1,800 meters) due to landing gear issues and remained in a holding pattern for some time to burn off fuel. The aircraft made several low passes over runway 28R before safely landing, rolling about 100 meters beyond its end. All 155 passengers were promptly evacuated, and no injuries were reported.

Based on its technical history, engines, and regular maintenance record, the Airbus A320 “Kurdamir” is classified as a reliable, mid-age aircraft actively operated in civil aviation.

AZAL pilots demonstrated exceptional professionalism, doing everything possible to prevent serious consequences. The crew acted with precision and coordination, maintaining full control of the aircraft until it came to a complete stop.

A possible explanation for the aircraft’s slight overrun beyond the runway is also being discussed among aviation experts. Aware of the landing gear malfunction, the pilots likely chose to perform a soft landing (as much as circumstances allowed) with a slightly delayed touchdown to reduce impact stress on the gear and minimise the risk of fire. This decision ensured a safe landing but shortened the available braking distance. According to specialists, these actions were crucial in avoiding severe consequences and preventing a potential tragedy.

Caliber.Az is aware of the names of the pilots who saved the passengers’ lives. However, we are not disclosing them, believing that the national carrier itself will announce the crew members whose actions that night became a true example of professionalism, composure, and courage.