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Heydar Aliyev International Airport is the principal gateway to Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, and the busiest airport in the South Caucasus. It sits on the low, flat Absheron peninsula close to the Caspian shore, offering two long paved runways well suited to both commercial jets and general aviation traffic in a simulator. The field is a major hub for Azerbaijan Airlines and its cargo affiliates, with a history stretching back to the early Soviet era.
Heydar Aliyev International Airport, known by its ICAO code UBBB and IATA code GYD, serves Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. It is operated as the country's principal international gateway and hub for Azerbaijan Airlines, Azal Avia Cargo, Silk Way West Airlines, Silk Way Airlines and ASG Business Aviation. For a simulator pilot the airport offers two very long instrument runways, extensive apron and terminal infrastructure, and a coastal, low-lying setting on the Absheron peninsula that makes for an interesting approach over the Caspian Sea.
The airport lies in the Khazar district of Baku, close to the settlement of Bina, around 20 kilometres northeast of the city centre on the Absheron peninsula near the Caspian Sea. It sits at an elevation of -3 feet, among the lowest of any major airport, reflecting the low-lying coastal terrain of the peninsula. As Azerbaijan's principal international airport it lies within controlled airspace with a full radar and approach service.
The airfield has two parallel physical runways. Runway 16/34 is a hard-surfaced, lit runway of 13,112 feet with ILS approaches available in both directions. Runway 17/35 is a hard-surfaced, lit runway of 10,758 feet, also equipped with ILS in both directions. Both runways are suitable for the largest commercial aircraft as well as general aviation traffic.
Baku Approach operates on 129.3 MHz, with the airport's ATIS broadcasting on 126.8 MHz. Baku Precision (GCA) and Baku Tower share 119.2 MHz, Baku Ground works on 121.7 MHz, and Baku Radar operates on 120.8 MHz. Both runway pairs are served by ILS, providing precision approach guidance for instrument arrivals in poor weather or at night.
Baku Airport began operations in 1933, with the first flight over the Caucasus Mountains to Moscow, and a scheduled Baku-Moscow service following in 1937. Routes to Rostov and Grozny were added in 1938, and after the Second World War a service to Ashgabat opened. The fleet grew with the multi-seat Ilyushin Il-14 in 1955, and the Ilyushin Il-18 flew its first Baku-Moscow service on 20 June 1959. A new passenger terminal complex opened on 9 February 1964. On 31 August 1990 the airport gained international status, opening to flights beyond the Soviet Union shortly before its dissolution in 1991. A new terminal, later known as Terminal 2, was presented in October 1997 in the presence of President Heydar Aliyev, and a new runway opened the following year. A further terminal complex was commissioned in 1999, attended by Heydar Aliyev and Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, alongside a new air traffic control centre and an aviation fuel complex. On 10 March 2004 the airport was renamed in honour of Heydar Aliyev, the former Soviet-era party leader and later president of Azerbaijan. A domestic terminal opened on 7 May 2004, and the Baku Cargo Terminal followed in March 2005. Construction of a major new terminal began in 2011, and a new runway opened on 20 April 2012. A new hangar complex for Silk Way Technics and an International Logistics Centre opened in May 2013, and a new main air traffic control centre followed in October of that year. Terminal 1 opened on 23 April 2014, with its first flight departing for Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen the same day, and direct service to New York began in September 2014. The airport received Skytrax four-star recognition in 2014 and 2016, and was named Best Airport among Airports in Russia and the CIS Countries in 2018 and again in 2020, alongside a five-star Regional Airport rating from Skytrax in 2018.
Heydar Aliyev International Airport functions as the principal hub for Azerbaijan Airlines and its subsidiaries Azal Avia Cargo, Silk Way West Airlines, Silk Way Airlines and ASG Business Aviation, and remains the busiest airport in Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus. It operates with two long, lit, hard-surfaced runways equipped with ILS, supporting both international passenger operations from Terminal 1 and domestic and low-cost services from Terminal 2.
