Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva opened a new building of the Air Traffic Control Center of Azeraeronavigation Air Traffic Department of the national airline company Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) on October 2.

The department is operationally responsible for the provision of air traffic services in the Azerbaijani airspace and in airports across the country.

The department was set up in 1996 in compliance with requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It received an ISO certificate from DQS (German Registrar for Management Systems).

In 2012, it served 130,000 aircraft, with 80,000 of them having used Azerbaijan`s airspace as a transit route.

The number of airlines operating flights from the Heydar Aliyev International Airport of Baku is growing. The new building of the Air Traffic Control Center will boost the country's capabilities to deal with the increasing number of flights.

The president and his spouse were told that the Center occupied an area of a total of 5,000 square meters. The building is 65m high.

The first floor of the Center has an office, a virtual museum, Aviation Meteorological and Aeronavigation information centers, specially equipped rooms for trainings, conference halls, a cafeteria, server and communications centers, and technical rooms.

The Operation Hall of the Air Traffic Control Centre and Dispatcher's Control Department are on the second floor of the building.

President Aliyev toured the building and then had a meeting with staff of the department.

Addressing the employees, the president said that the new center is considerably different from the previous one; it has excellent opportunities for observation, as both airstrips are clearly visible, which means that modern standards are met.

"Air transport is a very important field for any country. In Azerbaijan, I can say, excellent results have been achieved in this industry," President Aliyev said.

According to the president, over the past years, all the major airports have been overhauled or new ones built. The Ganja, Nakhchivan, Lankaran and Yevlakh airports were reconstructed, and the Gabala and Zaqatala airports were built.

"Along with this, the construction of a new airport terminal of the Heydar Aliyev International Airport is drawing to a close. A great job has been done there as well. The previous, old airport terminal was overhauled and the new one, I think, will be one of the most beautiful airports in the world," the president said.

President Aliyev said all the necessary measures are being taken to develop air transport. in the past ten years the country has purchased over 30 new aircraft and essentially all of them were manufactured by the world's leading companies. Thus, there is every opportunity available to ensure the convenience and safety of passengers.

Moreover, about 20 helicopters have been purchased, which is also a very useful sector for business as well as for oil and gas operations.

"Azerbaijan and Baku have already become a logistics and transport center of the world. Freight traffic is growing in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan is expanding its capabilities as a transit country. The number of international flights is growing today. Companies operating in Azerbaijan are in the forefront in cargo aviation as well... Azerbaijan has now become indispensable as a transit country," President Aliyev said.

The president added that the development of this industry will fetch hefty profit in the future.

AZAL, the biggest Azerbaijani airline and national flag carrier, offers passenger flights to countries in Europe, the CIS, Middle East and Asia. After purchasing new Boeing aircraft for long-haul flights in 2014, the airline plans to open regular flights to destinations in North America and South-East Asia.

The company is a regional and CIS leader for the number of new aircraft. Its fleet currently consists of modern aircraft meeting all safety requirements, including Boeing 757-200, Airbus А319, ATR 42, ATR 72, Airbus А320 and Boeing 767-300.

It cooperates with about 60 airlines to provide its passengers with the opportunity to travel freely around the world.