AZAL to operate free flights to evacuate citizens
By Vugar Khalilov
Azerbaijani Airlines (AZAL) will operate daily flights to evacuate Azerbaijani citizens affected by the events in Ukraine, the company has reported.
The evacuation flights, which will be organized in accordance with the presidential order, will be free of charge for Azerbaijani citizens, according to the report.
On March 1, the company already carried out an evacuation flight, returning 176 Azerbaijani citizens to the country.
“Azerbaijan also organizes other charter flights to evacuate our compatriots from Ukraine to neighboring countries. Thus, 336 citizens of Azerbaijan were brought to Baku by these flights on February 28 and March 2,” the company said.
It stressed that Azerbaijani citizens willing to return to the country can contact Azerbaijani diplomatic missions abroad.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva said at a press conference in Baku that the evacuation of Azerbaijanis from Ukraine is in the spotlight, Trend reported on March 2.
Abdullayeva underlined that due to the fact that the airspace of Ukraine is closed, Azerbaijani citizens can only cross the land border with Poland, Moldova, and Slovakia.
"Today, about 4,000 Azerbaijanis have crossed the border in the above directions," she said.
She added that the topic of return certificates for Azerbaijani people in Ukraine who do not have passports or have issues with their documentation has been discussed.
Abdullayeva underlined that the process is time-consuming, and the Azerbaijani embassy works and provides the citizens with relevant documents.
"Some time is required to prepare return-home certificates," she added.
Abdullayeva said that several diplomats had been dispatched to Azerbaijan's embassies in Moldova and Poland in connection with the intensive work on the evacuation of Azerbaijani citizens.
Furthermore, the Azerbaijani embassy in Ukraine is still operational, and all necessary steps are being taken to evacuate Azerbaijani citizens, she added.
On March 2, 168 more Azerbaijani citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrived in Baku, Trend reported.
At 0920, passengers on the third charter flight arrived at Heydar Aliyev International Airport. The majority of those evacuated were women and children.
On March 1, Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) evacuated 176 Azerbaijanis from neighboring countries to Baku on a charter plane due to the situation in Ukraine.
Moreover, Azerbaijan’s Honorary Consulate in Kharkiv evacuated 500 Azerbaijani citizens, supporting them to cross the Ukrainian-Polish border in Lviv.
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