Azerbaijan Airlines passenger traffic up 6% in first three quarters

Image: AZAL

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) reported solid operational growth for the first nine months of the year, expanding its fleet and route network while rolling out new digital services. From January through September, the Azerbaijani flag carrier transported approximately 3.3 million passengers, a 6% increase year-over-year. International routes accounted for over 2.6 million passengers (+4%).

Connecting traffic through the airline’s hub in Baku surged 29% year-over-year to 419,000 transit passengers. Flight operations grew by 8% to 14,100 departures, with international services accounting for 10,900 flights (+7%).

The top five most popular destinations were Moscow (Russia), Tbilisi (Georgia), Istanbul (Türkiye), Tel Aviv (Israel), and Antalya (Türkiye).

As part of its network development, AZAL launched direct flights to Kars (Türkiye), as well as Atyrau and Aktobe (Kazakhstan), bringing its scheduled route network to 55 destinations by the end of September.

On its core domestic route connecting Baku and Nakhchivan, the airline operated nearly 3,200 flights (+14%), carrying over 650,000 passengers (+15%).

Operational performance remained robust, with the average passenger load factor holding steady at 79% and on-time performance (OTP) reaching 81%.

Year-to-date, AZAL has taken delivery of five new Airbus A320neo family narrowbodies.

Concurrently, the airline enhanced its passenger digital experience. Onboard sales now feature cashless POS payments. Online payment options were expanded via a partnership with Uzbekistan’s Uzum Bank—enabling Humo and Uzcard acceptance—alongside integration with Alipay and WeChat Pay.

Passengers can also take advantage of buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) ticket financing. Additionally, transit passengers can now book Stopover packages in Baku online, alongside a new Rental Car booking service. AZAL has also streamlined its self-service options, expanding online ancillary baggage purchasing and fully automating the ticket refund process, including flight cancellation claims.