AZANS Director: More than 1,000 flights operated over Azerbaijan on May 9

On May 9, Azeraeronavigation Air Traffic Control Department (AZANS) of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) CJSC handled a record 1,062 flights, AZANS Director Farhan Guliyev said in an interview with Aviation Week, Report informs.

Guliyev noted that Azerbaijan has become an important air corridor enabling airlines to operate between Europe and Asia: "In March this year, the daily number of transit flights increased to an average of 810. Since the Middle East crisis began, more than 60 new airlines have started using the country's airspace. While AZANS served 47,065 transit flights in 2021, this figure rose to 261,085 in 2025."

He explained that the closure of Ukraine's Flight Information Region (FIR), parts of Russian airspace due to sanctions, and the Middle East crisis required AZANS to act swiftly: "As traffic was redirected across Eurasia, Azerbaijan's FIR was positioned as a key alternative corridor. To increase capacity, structural changes were made to the airspace, new air traffic sectors were added, and investments were made in air traffic management systems. Azerbaijan recognizes the importance of its responsibility in ensuring global connectivity and is fully committed to fulfilling this role today."

The director emphasized that newly established corridors connecting China, Central Asia, and India with Europe are highly efficient for airlines and will become increasingly important as demand for East–West traffic grows: "If a coordinated air flow management system is implemented with the states along this corridor, Azerbaijan's FIR capacity could increase further. This step, currently under discussion, could raise hourly traffic from the current 250 to 300."