Azerbaijan’s skies become strategic lifeline for global aviation

Between June 13 and June 23, 2025, a total of 10,838 flights passed through Azerbaijan's airspace, underscoring the country's emerging role as a critical corridor for global aviation.

This information was provided by Farhan Guliyev, Director of the Air Traffic Management Department of "Azeronavigation" (AZANS), a subsidiary of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), in an article published on the official platform of CANSO — the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

According to Guliyev, out of these flights, 8,207 were transit flights. As a result of temporary airspace closures in the region, an average of 110 additional flights per day were redirected through Azerbaijan. "This growth is not accidental: in June 2024, the volume of transit flights over Azerbaijan increased by 20% compared to the same period in 2023, and an additional growth of 13% is forecast for June 2025," he noted.

Azerbaijan's airspace becomes strategic

In June 2025, against the backdrop of escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, the airspaces of Iran, Israel, and several neighbouring countries were closed. This forced international airlines operating between Europe and Asia to urgently revise their routes.

Guliyev explained that AZANS responded swiftly to the crisis by accommodating hundreds of redirected flights to the north and ensuring the uninterrupted continuity of air operations.

"This was not merely an emergency backup route but the outcome of a long-term strategy centred on modernisation, coordination, and resilience. Our system was prepared for disruptions in global air traffic. What we witnessed in June was not improvisation but a confirmation of this enduring strategy. Since 2022, Azerbaijan's airspace has played a key role in providing alternative and efficient routes during regional crises," Guliyev emphasised.

Swift and coordinated response measures

Guliyev noted that to handle the surge in flights, a multi-level emergency response plan was activated within hours. The measures included:

Reinforcing air traffic controller (ATC) shifts during peak hours;

Real-time reconfiguration of airspace sector configurations;

Mobilisation of reserve teams and technical support to prevent bottlenecks;

Scaling up all services without compromising safety or quality.

As a result, even under significant operational pressure, Azerbaijan successfully managed the redirected air traffic without any delays or violations of air traffic control (ATC) procedures.

Guliyev highlighted that AZANS's ability to maintain stable operations stemmed from years of investment in air traffic management (ATM) technologies.

Among the technologies and procedures implemented are:

Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO);

Flow Management Procedures (FMP);

Digital monitoring and traffic management platforms;

Data-Driven Decision Making;

Air Traffic Management system modernisation programs.

"These approaches allowed us to balance sector workloads and enabled controllers to make rapid decisions without increasing operational risks," Guliyev said.

Strengthening Azerbaijan's role in global aviation

Today, more than 200 international airlines regularly utilise Azerbaijan's airspace. In 2024 alone, approximately 50 million passengers were transported along these routes.

"At the peak of the recent crisis, over 25 international carriers, including Turkish Airlines, Air France, British Airways, and Singapore Airlines, fully redirected their flights through Azerbaijan. This reflects the level of trust in the AZANS network and the high degree of technical readiness," Guliyev underlined.

Despite the intense traffic, not a single delay or disruption was recorded at Azerbaijan's international airports.

Guliyev further emphasised the importance of regional coordination in ensuring operational efficiency: "Coordinated actions with air navigation service providers in Türkiye and Central Asian countries played a crucial role in flexible airspace management, route optimisation, and the deployment of new technologies."

He concluded that these key elements enabled AZANS to manage the crisis effectively: "The organisation not only maintained safe airspace but also served as a strategic air bridge for global aviation during a period of uncertainty, supporting critical supply chains in the air transport sector."

By Tamilla Hasanova