Azerbaijan Airlines
Azerbaijan · AZAL · Active
Airline Identity
History
Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) was established as the country's flag carrier on 7 April 1992, shortly after Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union, inheriting infrastructure and aircraft from the former Soviet Aeroflot's Azerbaijan directorate. The airline modernized its fleet through the 2000s and 2010s, adding Boeing 757s and later Boeing 787 Dreamliners (from 2014) for long-haul routes, and expanded its network to destinations including Paris, Beijing, and elsewhere across Europe and Asia. In 2023 AZAL merged its low-cost subsidiary Buta Airways back into the main AZAL brand.
Current Operations
AZAL currently operates dozens of aircraft to roughly 50-plus destinations across Europe, Asia, and the CIS from its hub at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, and has continued adding routes such as regular service to Beijing and seasonal flights to Seoul. It has also begun limited commercial service to Fuzuli in the Karabakh region. The carrier is not a member of any of the three major global alliances but maintains codeshare and interline partnerships with international carriers such as Turkish Airlines, Air France, and Etihad Airways; ownership sits with state-linked holding structures, currently organized under AZCON Holding.
Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.