Heydar Aliyev International Airport is the busiest airport both in Azerbaijan and in the South Caucasus as well as one of the busiest in the post-Soviet countries. The airport is 20 kilometers northeast of Baku, connected to the city by Baku Airport Highway. Baku Airport began its operations in , when the first flight to Moscow through the Caucasus Mountains took place.
The Baku-Moscow flight route was established 4 years later in , and commenced its operations to carry 15 passengers daily. A year later in , Baku-Rostov and Baku-Grozny flights were introduced as well. In , a multi seat Ilyushin Il plane would serve as a new addition to aircraft of the airport, and on 20 June, , first flight of aircraft type Ilyushin Il would take place on Baku-Moscow route.
On 9 February , a new passenger terminal complex was opened and put into operation at Baku Airport. On 31 August , Baku Airport gained international status and opened up for flights outside of the Soviet Union , which would dissolve a year later in The newly opened terminal would soon be known as Terminal 2.
A year later in , a new runway of Baku airport would be opened. The New Passenger Terminal complex was put into operation in On 10 March , by the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the airport was renamed after Heydar Aliyev, the long-standing Soviet party boss in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and later president of Azerbaijan. On 7 May , a new passenger terminal for domestic flights at Heydar Aliyev International Airport was put into operation.
Currently, it serves as a major hub for domestic flights within the country, flying to cities such as Ganja and Nakhchivan. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev would attend the groundbreaking ceremony of a new terminal building at the airport on 17 March , and review the progress of construction later the same year in December.
