Azerbaijan sets new transit flight record as East-West air traffic grows

Azerbaijan is strengthening its role as one of the key air transit corridors between Europe and Asia, with international flight traffic through the country rising sharply in recent years.

Farhan Guliyev, Director of Air Traffic Management at Azeraeronavigation, said in an interview with Aviation Week that Azerbaijan recorded a historic peak on May 9, when 1,062 flights passed through the country’s airspace in a single day.

According to him, the average daily number of transit flights reached 810 in March of this year.

Guliyev noted that more than 60 airlines have started using Azerbaijan’s air corridor since the beginning of the crisis in the Middle East. The scale of growth is significant: in 2021, AZANS handled 47,065 transit flights, while in 2025 this figure increased to 261,085.

The shift in global aviation routes has been driven by several factors, including the closure of Ukrainian airspace, restrictions in parts of Russian airspace, and the decision by a number of carriers to avoid flying over Russia. Instability in the Middle East has added further pressure to international route planning.

As a result, Azerbaijan’s flight information region has become one of the main alternative air routes across Eurasia.

To handle the growing traffic, Azerbaijan has created new air traffic control sectors, modernized the structure of its airspace and invested in advanced flight management systems.

The head of AZANS said new routes connecting China, Central Asia and India with Europe have already proved effective and are expected to become even more important as East-West air traffic continues to expand.

Azerbaijan is also discussing the introduction of an air traffic flow management system together with countries located along the route. Experts estimate that this could increase the country’s airspace capacity from the current 250 flights per hour to 300.