Azerbaijan Airlines

"AZAL" redirects here. For other uses, seeAzal (disambiguation).

Azerbaijan Airlines(Azerbaijani:Azərbaycan Hava Yolları), also known asAZAL,is theflag carrierand largestairlineof the country ofAzerbaijan.Based inBaku,adjacent toHeydar Aliyev International Airport,the carrier operates to destinations acrossAsia,theCIS,andEurope.Azerbaijan Airlines is a member of theInternational Air Transport Association.

Azerbaijan Airlines

IATA ICAO Call sign J2 AHY AZAL
Founded	7 April 1992(1992-04-07)
Hubs	Heydar Aliyev International Airport
Focus cities	Ganja Nakhchivan Qabala
Frequent-flyer program	AZAL Miles
Subsidiaries	Azal Avia Cargo Buta Airways
Fleet size	32
Destinations	54
Parent company	Government of Azerbaijan,(Parent Company AZCON Holding)
Headquarters	Baku,Azerbaijan
Key people	Samir Rzayev(President)
Revenue	AZN1.149 billion (2022)
Operating income	AZN 258 million (2022)
Net income	AZN 110 million (2022)
Total assets	AZN 2.241 billion (2022)
Total equity	AZN 772 million (2022)
Employees	7,000
Website	www.azal.az/en/

The airline was founded on 7 April 1992 as the first national airline established after the country gained its independence. The state-owned company was privatized in the 2000s, during which ownership of the company's assets ended up in the hands of companies owned by family members of Azerbaijani political elites, including PresidentIlham Aliyev's daughterArzu Aliyeva.

History

The first air squadron in Azerbaijan was formed on 2 June 1938. This date was declared the Azerbaijan Civil Aviation Day under the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2006. During the period from 1941 to 1945 Azerbaijan aviation worked under the motto "All for the Front".

In 1990, Azerbaijan announced that it was setting up its own airline, and that it would be independent ofAeroflot,the long-time provider of air services for the Soviet republics. Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) was officially established on 17 August 1992. Its first president was Vagif Sadykhly.

Formed from the regional branch ofAeroflot,Azerbaijan Airlines, also known as Azerbaijan Hava Yollari, soon spread its wings into the world outside the Soviet Union, which had been Aeroflot's exclusive domain. A scheduled Baku-Istanbulroute was launched in January 1991 in partnership withTurkish Airlines,and the cargo enterprise Aviasharg was created in cooperation with theUnited Arab Emirates.AZAL inherited a huge fleet from Aeroflot, including more than 20 Soviet-made Tupolev airliners, some regional airliners and freighters, 90 light aircraft, and 50 helicopters. It was quick to lease a pair ofBoeing 727s,however, that once belonged toPan Am(and were built in 1968). AZAL had an extensive involvement with theFarhad Azimassociated Aviation Leasing Group (ALG), a U.S.-based lessor of Boeing 727s.It had a transatlantic charter cargo joint venture with ALG'sBuffalo Airways,which was also training AZAL aircrews to Western standards inDallas,Texas.

In November 1994, AZAL began a route toDubai,which, along withIstanbul,was a key source of Western goods. It was soon also flying toTehran,Tel Aviv,Saint Petersburg,London,andChina.Service to several regional destinations was suspended in mid-1998, due to low margins and the need to repair three Yak-40 aircraft. With the exception of a few major cities, service to neighboringCIScountries was suspended in January 1999, due to debt. These routes were generally unprofitable as well, and were facing new competition from trains. According to theTrend News Agency,domestic flights accounted for only about 16 percent of AZAL's traffic in 1998.

Azerbaijan's border dispute withArmeniaoverNagorno-Karabakhhad delayed financing for two newBoeing 757sfrom the U.S.Ex-Im Bank.The $66 million loan guarantee was the Ex-Im Bank's first transaction for Azerbaijan, according to Air Transport Intelligence. The financing was also guaranteed by the Azerbaijan government and theInternational Bank of Azerbaijan.TheUnited Kingdom'sExport Credits Guarantee Departmentguaranteed financing forRolls-Royce engines,utilized by both Boeing 757s. The first of the 757s was delivered in the fall of 2000. The planes offered the carrier unprecedented range, comfort, and efficiency on long-haul international routes. They also helped project a modern image to the world. The second Boeing 757 to be delivered arrived in December laden with medical supplies due to a recent earthquake in Azerbaijan. In January 2001, AZAL used one of the planes to begin operating aParis-Baku route in collaboration withAir France.

Azerbaijan, a predominantlyMuslimcountry, experienced a reduction in air traffic following the9/11 terrorist attackson theUnited States.AZAL was able to remain profitable through 2001, however, and even make progress toward paying off its debt. The airline was soon shopping for more new aircraft as it retired its aging Soviet models. AZAL ordered its first Western-made helicopters in October 2002, purchasing six for EUR 52 million fromEurocopter.AZAL used helicopters to ferry personnel and equipment out tooil rigsin the Caspian Sea.

In July 2004, two of AZAL's airliners were impounded byTurkeyover a 12-year-old debt owed by Azerbaijan's Agriculture Ministry to a Turkish company. In the same month, AZAL ordered newUkrainian-made, 52-passenger AntonovAn-140turboprops to replenish its regional fleet, paying about $36 million for four planes.

On 22 July 2010, Boeing and Azerbaijan Airlines signed an agreement to substitute two Next-Generation 737 airplanes for one767-300ER(extended range) and two 767 Freighters. Including this announcement, Azerbaijan Airlines had a total of eight Boeing airplanes on order: two767-300ERs,two767 Freighters,twoNext-Generation 737sand two787-8s.In September 2010, AZAL cancelled an order for the remaining two Next-Generation 737s.

On 23 and 24 December 2014, Azerbaijan Airlines took delivery of the twoBoeing 787 Dreamlinersit had on order.The airline also launched itsPremium economyproduct along with the introduction of the 787.

On 12 November 2017, Boeing agreed to sell five787-8aircraft to Azerbaijan Airlines, valued at about $1.9 billion at list prices.

Destinations

Main article:List of Azerbaijan Airlines destinations

Codeshare agreements

Azerbaijan Airlinescodeshareswith the following airlines:

• Air Arabia
• Air France
• airBaltic
• Austrian Airlines
• Belavia
• Bulgaria Air
• Etihad Airways
• Lufthansa
• Qatar Airways
• S7 Airlines
• SCAT Airlines
• Turkish Airlines
• Ukraine International Airlines

Fleet

Azerbaijan AirlinesAirbus A320-200

Azerbaijan Airlines is the world's last airline operating theAirbus A340-500.One is pictured here during landing.

Current fleet

As of March 2024,Azerbaijan Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers					Notes
			C	Y+	Y	Total	Refs
Airbus A319-100	3	—	24	—	90	114
Airbus A320-200	6	—	20	—	126	146
Airbus A320neo	3	12	—	—	186	186
Airbus A321neo	—		TBA
Airbus A340-500	2	—	36	—	201	237
Boeing 757-200	1	—	22	—	158	180
Boeing 767-300ER	2	—	22	—	176	198
Boeing 787-8	2	12	18	35	157	210
Embraer 190	8	—	—	—	106	106
VIP fleet
Airbus ACJ319	1	—	VIP
Airbus ACJ320	1	—	VIP
Airbus A340-600	1	—	VIP
Boeing 767-300ER	1	—	VIP
Boeing 777-200LR	1	—	VIP
Total	32	24

Historical fleet

An Azerbaijan AirlinesBoeing 707-300in 1995

An Azerbaijan AirlinesTupolev 154Min 2000

Azerbaijan Airlines used to operate a number of aircraft, its most common aircraft used to be theTupolev Tu-154until it was retired in 2013. All the aircraft Azerbaijan Airlines used to operate are listed below.

Azerbaijan Airlines Historical Fleet

Aircraft	Fleet	Introduced	Retired	Notes	Refs
ATR 42-500	2	2007	2013
ATR 72-200	4	2007	2013
Boeing 707-300	6	1994	1998
Boeing 727-200	6	1993	2004	One fleet is currently stored
Canadair CL-44	2	1997	1998
Embraer 170	1	2013	2017	Transferred to wholly owned subsidiaryButa Airways
Embraer 190	6	2013	2017
Ilyushin IL-76	7	1993	2004	One Aircraft stored atBaku
Tupolev Tu-134	21	1993	2003
	1			Still operates for Azerbaijani Government
	1		1995	Crashed asAzerbaijan Airlines Flight 56
Tupolev Tu-154M	31	1991	2013
	1			Still operates for Azerbaijani Government

Accidents and incidents

• On 30 November 1995, at about 19:10 LT, aBoeing 707-323C,which was registered as 4K-401, was en route fromUrumqi(URC), but encountered some problems with the left mainlanding gear.After a low pass over Baku's runway, the aircraft made a left turn in preparation for landing at the airport. Shortly afterwards, however, the plane struck lightstanchionson a road bridge and crashed into a field, killing two crew members and injuring four other people.
• On 5 December 1995,Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 56was on a return flight between Baku andNakhchivan.The flight departed Baku at 15:28, arriving at Nakhchivan at 16:37 after an uneventful flight. The plane was refuelled and prepared for the flight back to Baku, and departed at 17:52. While climbing through a height of 60 meters after takeoff and at an airspeed of 317 km/h, the no. 1 engine failed. The co-pilot reacted by countering the left bank. The captain then assumed control of the airplane. Because the co-pilot had countered the left bank, the captain did not have the sensory information which could have alerted him that it was the left-hand engine that had failed. The airplane continued to climb through 140m, passing through a layer ofsmog,after which the captain ordered the right-hand engine to be shut down. The flight engineer noticed that the power on the operating engine was decreasing. He brought the throttle back to the original position, but the engine had already stopped. Eight seconds later, the flight engineer reported that both engines had failed. The airplane had reached an elevation of 197 m and the speed had decreased to 290 km/h. The captain then decided to carry out aforced landing.The plane was then maneuvered for a forced landing during which a sharp right turn was made to avoid an apartment block. In a 37-degree right bank with a 10 m/s (1960 feet/min) descent rate, the airplane crashed into a field in the southwestern outskirts Nakhchivan, 3,850 m from the runway, killing 2 crew members and 50 passengers; 30 were injured. Investigation revealed that, following the mechanical failure of the left-hand engine, the crew shut down the working right-hand engine. The Tu-134B flight deck ergonomics contributed in that the flight engineers' engine parameters are difficult to monitor in conditions of weak illumination. It was later concluded that the engine failed because it was operated for more than 30 hours with an unrepaired defect.
• On 15 May 1997, a number of Azerbaijani soldiers were returning to camp near Ganja after a small arms practice and had begun shooting at a road sign. At the same time, aYakovlev 404K-87504 was returning from a training flight and was above the area on its approach toGanja Airport.A number of stray bullets struck the Yak-40 and hit an oxygen cylinder. A fire broke out and control was lost. The aircraft crashed 5160m short of the runway, 95m left of the extended centerline. All 6 crew members died.
• On 18 August 2000, a passengerhijackedAzerbaijan Airlines Flight 154, aTupolev Tu-154,while the plane was on a domestic trip between Nakhchivan and Baku. The hijacker claimed to be armed with ahand grenadeand a bottle of flammable liquid. He demanded that the aircraft, which was carrying 164 passengers, be flown to Istanbul, Turkey, where he wanted to visit a hospitalizedAzeripolitical leader. The hijacker agreed to the pilot's recommendation to refuel in Tbilisi, Georgia. However, the hijacker was overpowered by two Ministry of National Security officials who were on the plane. The plane landed in Baku, and the hijacker was arrested. He did not have a grenade, but reportedly carried two bottles – one containingkeroseneand the other an unidentified liquid. The hijacker was identified as the chairman of the Nakhichevan branch of the oppositionMusavat Party.A number of the hijacker's largely political demands, including postponing parliamentary elections until December, were printed in an opposition newspaper the following day. Several days after the hijacking, the editor-in-chief of this paper was arrested and charged withterrorismfor having maintained contacts with the hijacker. Documents relating to the hijacking were reportedly in his apartment. The hijacker, however, claimed to have acted alone.
• On 23 December 2005,Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217,anAntonov An-140,registered as 4K-AZ48 and en route toAktau,plunged into the Caspian Sea about 20 miles north of Baku. All 18 passengers and five crew members died. The airline grounded its other remaining An-140 airplanes and postponed plans to purchase more of the type from Ukraine.Investigators discovered that three independent gyroscopes were not providing stabilised heading and attitude performance information to the crew early in the flight.
• On 12 August 2010, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 75, anAirbus A319-111registered as 4K-AZ04 and bearing the name "Guba", suffered a collapse of the undercarriage when the aircraft exited runway 05-23 following arrival atAtatürk International Airportin Istanbul. The aircraft was substantially damaged, but all 127 passengers and crew escaped unharmed.

See also

• Civil Aviation Museum of Azerbaijan
• List of airlines of Azerbaijan
• List of airports in Azerbaijan
• List of companies of Azerbaijan
• Transport in Azerbaijan

External links

Media related toAzerbaijan Airlinesat Wikimedia Commons

• Official website