Astrakhan-Baku flight to be launched soon
By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade
Soon, on May 16, direct flights between Russia’s Astrakhan and Azerbaijani capital Baku will be launched. The flights will be operated twice a week.
Embraer-190 (E90 class) airliners with a capacity of 100 people will deliver passengers to the Azerbaijani capital in about one hour, the government of the Astrakhan Region said in a message.
Flights will be operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), headquartered at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport. The price of one-way ticket will range between 2,500 and 6,000 rubles ($30-90).
The opening ceremony of the flight will be held at the Astrakhan airport.
It is noteworthy that opening direct flights between Azerbaijan and many Russian cities, lack of language restrictions and the opportunity of visa-free travel are important factors for the development of tourism between the two countries.
Starting from July, Irkutsk Airlines begins regular flights from Yekaterinburg to Baku twice a week, which will increase the total number of the flights to the city to three times a week.
In addition, Azerbaijan’s low-cost airline Buta Airways has launched direct flights from Baku to Ufa. Flights are operated twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays.
Baku increasingly spreads its flight map over the world. Buta Airways will also launch direct flights from Baku to another two cities of Ukraine - Odessa and Kharkiv. Flights to Odessa will be operated starting from May 16 on Thursdays and Sundays, and those to Kharkiv – from May 3 on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Currently, 21 foreign airlines are represented in the Azerbaijani market according to the State Civil Aviation Agency of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies. They are ATA Airlines, Montenegro Airlines, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, Nordwind Airlines, Ikar Airlines, IrAero, Al-Naser Airlines, Pobeda Airlines, SalamAir, Komiavaiatrans, Jazeera Airways, Kuwait Wataniya Airways, Mahan Air, Taban Air, Israir, Arkia Israel Airlines, Flynas, Gulf Air, Smartavia and Pegasus Airlines.
Last year, Heydar Aliyev International Airport set a new record for passenger traffic: it served a total of 4.43 million passengers, which is 9 percent higher than in 2017. In 2018, base airlines of the Airport - AZAL and Buta Airways - carried 1.89 million and 442,000 passengers, respectively. A total of 3.81 million passengers were carried on international flights and 620,000 passengers - on regional flights.
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Mirsaid Ibrahimzade is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @MirsaidIbrahim1
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