Azernews.Az

Friday March 29 2024

Azerbaijan`s aviation enters new era of rapid development: AZAL head

9 April 2014 12:54 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan`s aviation enters new era of rapid development: AZAL head

By Gulgiz Dadashova

Azerbaijan`s aviation has entered a new era of rapid development, President of Azerbaijan Airlines said.

Jahangir Asgarov made the remark at a meeting with the participants of the 19th ICAO Regional Aviation Security Conference in Baku.

Asgarov highlighted the development of civil aviation in Azerbaijan, particularly the work on ensuring aviation security.

He said organizing such a high-profile conference in Baku was a sign of the confidence put in Azerbaijan.

The three-day meeting brings together delegates from a number of countries, including Azerbaijan, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan, as well as representatives of aviation security organizations.

Asgarov further said Azerbaijan Airlines, AZAL, successfully completed an IATA operational safety audit in 2008.

"Having completed the audit, Azerbaijan Airlines was included in the register of IOSA Operators and became a full member of the community of the world's safest airlines," he said. "Azerbaijan Airlines managers and personnel work hard on a daily basis to improve the airline's safety performance, flight frequency, culture and quality of passenger services, and overall image of the airline in the eyes of the world and the aviation community."

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had recently conferred Azerbaijan with a Category 1 safety and security rating, Asgarov said, adding that this allows AZAL to carry out direct flights to the United States.

"We opened the state-of-the-art Nakhchivan International Airport in 2004. Between 2006 and 2008, we inaugurated airports in Ganja, Zagatala, and Lankaran. Then a new airport was built in Gabala, and we also reconstructed the old one in Yevlakh. In addition to that, we improved our plane and helicopter park with the aim of bringing passenger and cargo transportation services to international standards."

He also highlighted a project on building a new air terminal complex at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, saying, "The project is aimed at improving passenger and cargo transportation services, and bringing aviation security to international standards. Once inaugurated, the new air terminal will allow the airport to serve six million people per year."

Asgarov praised President Ilham Aliyev`s attention to improving air traffic system, saying, "A new building of the Air Traffic Control Center of Azeraeronavigation Air Traffic Department of Azerbaijan Airlines was inaugurated last year."

"Azeraeronavigation Air Traffic Department is operationally responsible for the provision of air traffic services in the airspace of the Republic of Azerbaijan and all airports across the country," he said. "The Department was set up in 1996 in compliance with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It received an ISO certificate from DQS, German Registrar for Management Systems. In 2012, Azeraeronavigation Air Traffic Department served 130,000 aircrafts, with 80,000 of them having used Azerbaijan`s airspace as a transit route."

Asgarov said also noted that the number of airlines operating flights from the Heydar Aliyev International Airport is growing. The new building of Air Traffic Control Center will strengthen the country`s capabilities to tackle the growing number of flights, he concluded.

Loading...
Latest See more