Azerbaijani, Turkish leaders inaugurate Lachin Intl. Airport
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday inaugurated the third airport built in territories liberated from Armenian occupation during the 2020 war.
Accompanied by a high-level delegation, Erdoğan arrived in Lachin to attend events marking Azerbaijan’s Independence Day.
He was welcomed at the Lachin International Airport by Aliyev and Türkiye’s ambassador to Baku, Birol Akgun.
Accompanying Erdoğan are Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, and several senior advisors and ruling party officials.
Landmark project in mountains
The Lachin International Airport, whose foundation was laid in 2021, stands out not only for its political and symbolic value but also for its engineering complexity.
Built in mountainous terrain, the airport is Azerbaijan’s highest-altitude airport, located at an elevation of 1,800 meters. Its construction required extensive excavation and leveling of rocky land.
The airport is located 30 kilometers from Lachin, 70 km from Shusha, and 60 km from Kalbajar. It features a 3,000-meter-long and 60-meter-wide runway, and a terminal building capable of serving 200 passengers per hour.
On Monday, Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Ali Asadov signed a decree granting Lachin airport international status. Notifications were sent to global aviation authorities, bringing the total number of international airports in Azerbaijan to nine.
The airport is expected to play a major role in boosting tourism and commerce in the region.
Erdoğan and Aliyev had also inaugurated the Fuzuli and the Zangilan airports in October 2021 and October 2022, respectively, both constructed in formerly occupied areas. /Mehr