First flight of Israeli airline ARKIA to Baku VIDEO

Israeli airline ARKIA has made its first flight to the Azerbaijani capital Baku, the Israeli Embassy in Baku announced on X.

“Israeli Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ronen Krausz, Deputy Ambassador Aviv Zell, and Consul Pavel Levin Brener welcomed ARKIA’s first flight to Baku,” the embassy wrote, Caliber.Az reports.

🇮🇱🇦🇿 Israilin Azərbaycandakı Səfiri Ronen Krausz, Səfirin Müavini @AvivZell və Konsul Pavel Levin Brener ARKIA✈️aviaşirkətinin Bakıya ilk reysini qarşıladılar.
Uçuşların sayı İsrail və Azərbaycan arasında möhkəm münasibətlərin və sıx əlaqələrin bariz nümunəsidir.💪🤝… pic.twitter.com/KP0UJrnhtT

— Israel in Azerbaijan (@IsraelinAZ) October 29, 2025

The air route between Israel and Azerbaijan, primarily linking Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport and Baku's Heydar Aliyev International Airport, has evolved significantly over the past decade.

The route began with Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), the national flag carrier, which launched the first year-round non-stop service from Baku to Tel Aviv in 2016. Initially operating 2–3 times per week with Airbus A320 and Embraer E190 aircraft, AZAL expanded frequency to daily by 2019.

Israeli carriers followed. Israir Airlines introduced seasonal direct flights from Tel Aviv to Baku in 2018, typically running 2–3 times weekly during high-demand periods such as summer and Jewish holidays, using Boeing 737 aircraft.

By Khagan Isayev