Erdoğan celebrates opening of Lachin airport, hailing Turkish-Azerbaijani brotherhood

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has praised the opening of Lachin International Airport as a powerful symbol of friendship and strategic partnership between Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

In a social media post following the ceremony, Erdoğan wrote:

"May the Lachin Airport, which is one of the symbols of friendship and brotherhood between Türkiye and Azerbaijan, which we opened today together with my brother Ilham Aliyev, bring benefit and success to dear Azerbaijan and our region."

Kardeşim @azpresident İlham Aliyev ile birlikte bugün açılışını yaptığımız, Türkiye-Azerbaycan dostluğunun, kardeşliğinin nişanelerinden biri olan Laçın Havalimanımız Can Azerbaycan’a ve bölgemize hayırlı uğurlu olsun. 🇹🇷🤝🇦🇿 https://t.co/kJBXPyzuG9

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) May 28, 2025

The airport, officially inaugurated on May 28 by Presidents Erdoğan and Ilham Aliyev, is the third to be built in Azerbaijani territories liberated from illegal Armenian occupation during the 2020 war. The ceremony coincided with Azerbaijan’s Independence Day and marked another milestone in Baku’s post-conflict reconstruction efforts.

Erdoğan, accompanied by a high-level delegation, arrived in Lachin to take part in the day’s events. Upon landing, he was welcomed at the new airport by President Aliyev and Türkiye’s ambassador to Baku, Birol Akgün. The two leaders jointly cut the ceremonial ribbon and were presented with symbolic keys to mark the official opening of the airport.

Construction of Lachin International Airport began in 2021, with engineers facing significant technical challenges due to the mountainous terrain. Located at an altitude of 1,800 meters, it is now Azerbaijan’s highest-altitude airport. The project required large-scale excavation and extensive land-levelling work to adapt the rugged landscape for aviation infrastructure.

Strategically positioned, the airport lies 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, and a passenger terminal capable of serving up to 200 people per hour.

On May 26, just days before the inauguration, Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov signed a decree officially granting Lachin airport international status. Notifications were immediately dispatched to international aviation authorities, raising the number of Azerbaijan’s international airports to nine.

The airport is expected to significantly boost tourism, trade, and regional connectivity, while reinforcing Azerbaijan’s efforts to revitalise areas previously under Armenian control.

Lachin is the third airport to be inaugurated in the liberated territories since 2021. Presidents Erdoğan and Aliyev previously opened Fuzuli International Airport in October 2021 and Zangilan International Airport in October 2022, each playing a critical role in post-war development and integration of the reclaimed regions.

By Tamilla Hasanova