Manipulation of Azerbaijani Flights Over Our Skies by CAAC and Security Council Secretary

On November 12, 2014, Azerbaijan shot down an unarmed "Mi-24" military helicopter, performing a training flight along the line of contact in the Armenian section, using an "Igla" missile system. The helicopter crashed into the neutral zone towards the village of Chemenli in the Agdam region. This incident marked the first time since the 1994 ceasefire that one side in the conflict shot down another's aircraft. All three crew members died: Commander Major Sergey Sahakyan, Senior Lieutenant Sargis Nazaryan, and Lieutenant Azat Sahakyan. Azerbaijani forces imposed special control over the crash site, attempting to hinder the recovery of the Armenian soldiers' bodies. However, despite these efforts, on November 22, Artsakh’s Defense Army announced that the remains of one of the deceased (A. Sahakyan) were recovered in a special operation, along with the remains of the other two and some necessary parts of the helicopter.

Four days prior to this incident, on November 8, Azerbaijan's national carrier "AZAL" had performed its regular flight from Baku to Nakhchivan and back via Armenian territory, but this would be the last such flight, as the Azerbaijanis feared retaliation from Armenia, who might shoot down an Azerbaijani aircraft if it entered Armenian airspace. Seven years have passed since that event, and just yesterday, on October 6, "AZAL" again flew from Baku to Nakhchivan over Armenian territory, stirring a significant backlash in Armenia.

The issue has been widely discussed in Armenian media and social networks since yesterday. Following the uproar, the Armenian government found itself in a defensive position. We noted yesterday that it remains unclear what this move by Prime Minister Pashinyan's government would bring us. We emphasized that without the consent of the high-ranking officials, the Civil Aviation Committee (CAC) would not have allowed "AZAL" to fly over our skies, regardless of the committee's assertion that no restrictions had ever been imposed. We also mentioned the lack of restrictions for Turkish aircraft flying through Armenian airspace.

Just one hour after our publication, CAC announced that "no transit flight permission is granted by the Armenian aviation authorities, as procedures dictate that no permission is required for the implementation of transit flights by civilian aircraft." With this statement, the committee is essentially attempting to mislead the public. A 2003 government decision states that "transit flights of civilian aircraft through Armenian airspace are carried out without prior authorization, based solely on the messages exchanged with the airspace management unit and air traffic service agencies as per established procedures." Thus, while the Armenian aviation authorities do not provide a permission for transit flights per se, the airline (in this case, Azerbaijani "AZAL") must communicate with the airspace management unit and air traffic service agencies before carrying out the flight. After this communication, they will be granted (or not granted) the right to use our skies.

Given this, to claim that the Armenian aviation authorities do not permit transit flights over our airspace (including by "AZAL") is manipulation. CAC's formulation indicating that "throughout this time, flights have been conducted from Zvartnots airport toward other countries and back via Azerbaijani airspace and continue to be conducted" does not clarify which Armenian carrier has flown or is currently flying over Azerbaijani territory. In reality, none have, as CAC refers not to Armenian airlines but to carriers from other countries, yet it poorly attempts to conceal this fact.

As early as August, the committee informed "Hetq" that Armenian aircraft do not use Azerbaijani airspace due to a lack of demand for flights in that direction (yes, our airlines only fly north and south to Russia, Georgia, Iran). Given this context, why does the committee manipulate and distort reality and facts?

CAC's statements echo closely those of the Secretary of the Security Council (ASC) Armen Grigoryan in an interview with Radio Liberty, where he stated, "During this entire time, flights from Yerevan to cities like Astana or the eastern parts of Russia have utilized Azerbaijani airspace." This information has been partially presented but not fully disclosed to gain some political dividends yet again. Grigoryan, like CAC, cannot specify which Armenian aircraft use Azerbaijani airspace. And let no one say this does not pertain to Armenian aircraft but to overall flights from Armenia to Azerbaijani skies (or vice versa). The discussion is precisely about the opportunity for Armenian and Azerbaijani carriers to use each other’s airspace, and the debates revolve around allowing an Azerbaijani carrier to perform transit flights through Armenian territory.

No one is discussing why, for example, the Kazakh airline "SCAT" flies from Armenia to its country via Azerbaijani airspace (see below for an image) because that is not the issue. Both CAC and ASC are well aware of this, but the motive behind their misleading statements is clear. Finally, let us provide a few examples of how the government plane, which carried Prime Minister Pashinyan, recently flew to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan from Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport, circumventing Azerbaijani airspace. These are clear evidences that the proponent of regional communication openings, Pashinyan himself, is not utilizing or at least cannot use Azerbaijani airspace for now. It would be better if CAC and ASC explained why the government aircraft avoids Azerbaijani skies: has Azerbaijan rejected a transit flight request from the Armenian side as Turkey did last September, or has the Armenian side not even approached Baku's aviation authorities, simply preferring a longer but safer route?