The new air route, which was launched in August 2019 between the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (an exclave of Azerbaijan) and Turkey, named “Friendship Corridor”.
Taking into account the geopolitical location of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the “Friendship Corridor” is of strategic importance. Thanks to it, direct air communication between the two countries is organized, bypassing the territory of other states.
A direct air route passes through a 15-kilometer border between the two countries along the Araz River. Note that on May 28, 1992, with the participation of national leader Heydar Aliyev, a road bridge and Sadarak-Diluju checkpoint was opened here.
Intensive work on the opening of the air route, which allows creating direct air communication between Nakhchivan and Turkey bypassing the airspace of other countries, started in 2018.
Thanks to the well-coordinated work of “Azeraeronavigation” (AZANS), Turkish General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) this project was implemented in a very short time.
All necessary interstate agreements were reached and signed. The uniqueness of this project is that the new air route laid down close to neighboring countries. For this purpose, AZANS applied special ICAO requirements to the new air route’s characteristics.
The opening of a new air route with Turkey will make a great contribution to the implementation of new international flights and the expansion of air communication with Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
AZANS – subdivision of “Azerbaijan Airlines” is the largest ATC in the region and is responsible for the airspace over the territory of Azerbaijan. The total area of responsibility is 165.4 thousand square kilometers, of which 86.6 thousand square kilometers is over the land territory of the country and 78.8 thousand kilometers is over the Caspian Sea.
There are 20 international corridors passing through the airspace of Azerbaijan, the length of the route network is approximately 11 thousand kilometers.
