Azerbaijan Airlines launched flights to Nakhchivan via Armenia
Azerbaijan Airlines began operating flights from Baku to Nakhchivan through Armenian on October 6.
Air traffic between Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR) over the territory of Armenia was interrupted since 2013 due to the aggravation of the Karabakh conflict. After that, flights to Nakhchivan were made over the territory of Iran.
"This step demonstrates Azerbaijan's resolute readiness to unblock transport communications in the region, which meets the interests of all border countries," the airline said.
By operating flights from Baku to Nakhchivan through the airspace of Armenia, the flight time and fuel consumption will be reduced. Thus, when performing these flights, Azerbaijan Airlines can use all air corridors, including those passing through the territories of Armenia and Iran.
On July 17, after a 16-month hiatus, a bus service on the Nakhchivan-Baku-Nakhchivan route was resumed in Azerbaijan, which was interrupted due to the pandemic. Due to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, buses ran through the territory of Iran.
Earlier, the two sides discussed the opening of transport communications in the South Caucasus after Second Karabakh War. Azerbaijan and Armenia have different positions on the 'Zangezur Corridor.' Ilham Aliyev described the November 10 agreement's mention of the 'Zangezur Corridor' as a "historic achievement,” while Yerevan does not believe that there is such an article on opening 'Zangezur corridor.'