Azerbaijan to establish border checkpoint at Lachin international airport

A checkpoint for crossing the state border will be established at Lachin International Airport, following a resolution signed by Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov.

The resolution amends Cabinet of Ministers’ Resolution No. 256, dated 10 September 2021, which regulates the list of state border checkpoints and the rules for their operation, Caliber.Az reports via the statement by the Cabinet of Ministers. 

The airport, officially inaugurated on May 28 by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is the third to be built in territories liberated from Armenian occupation during the 2020 Karabakh war. The opening ceremony coincided with Azerbaijan’s Independence Day, marking a significant milestone in Baku’s post-conflict reconstruction efforts.

Construction of Lachin International Airport began in 2021 and posed major technical challenges due to the mountainous terrain. Situated at an altitude of 1,800 meters, it is now the highest airport in Azerbaijan. Engineers undertook extensive excavation and land-levelling to adapt the rugged landscape for aviation use.

Strategically located, the airport is 30 kilometres from Lachin city, 70 kilometres from Shusha, and 60 kilometres from Kalbajar. It features a 3,000-meter-long and 60-meter-wide runway, along with a passenger terminal capable of handling up to 200 people per hour.

By Sabina Mammadli