Azerbaijan's Flights to Israeli Airbase Reach at Least 96 Since 2016: 'Hetq'

The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" published an investigation in March of this year revealing that Azerbaijani cargo planes have landed at Israel's "Ovda" airbase at least 92 times from 2016 until March 2023. This is reported by "Hetq".

The landings of Azerbaijani planes here are significant because, according to "Haaretz," "Ovda" is the only airfield in Israel through which explosives are imported into the country or exported from it.

"Hetq" has conducted research into similar flights since the publication by "Haaretz" and found that there were an additional 4 flights to "Ovda" between April and June. Given the uniqueness of the airfield, it can be said that it has strategic importance for Israel, which has a developed military industry, and its partner countries in this field.

"Haaretz" notes that transporting explosives through Israel's main airport, Tel Aviv's "Ben Gurion," is prohibited as it is located in a densely populated area. Instead, it should be noted that "Ovda" is located in the southern desert region of the country, approximately 45 km north of the city of Eilat. Built in 1980, "Ovda" previously served not only military aviation but also welcomed civilian flights, serving the city of Eilat and surrounding communities. However, since 2019, it has solely operated as a military airfield.

According to "Haaretz," for years, only a few Eastern European airlines have received permission to use "Ovda" for transporting explosives. One of them is the Azerbaijani carrier "Silk Way Airlines," which, as mentioned above, has made at least 96 landings at "Ovda" since 2016.

"Haaretz" also published a permission granted by the head of the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority in October 2013, allowing "Silk Way Airlines" to transport "explosive substances classified as dangerous and prohibited from air transport" from "Ovda." According to the document, it was intended for a flight from "Ovda" to the Azerbaijani "Nasosnaya" airbase (located near Sumgayit) on November 5, 2013. The maximum allowable weight of the transported explosive material was set at 15 tons.

Founded in 2001, "Silk Way Airlines" operates three Il-76TD (produced in the 1990s) and two Il-76TD-90 (produced in 2007 and 2008) planes. The first type has a cargo capacity of 50 tons, while the second has 60 tons. Additionally, the two Il-76TD-90s have been modernized at the request of the Azerbaijani side and meet current ICAO aviation noise standards, which are stricter than those previously in place.

The Israeli paper has provided quantitative data regarding the number of flights by "Silk Way Airlines" to "Ovda" from 2016 to 2023 in half-yearly segments. The infographic shows that flights to "Ovda" have increased during times of military operations in Artsakh or along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

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