Summary
- Azerbaijan Airlines has reinstated its non-stop flight services from Baku to Geneva, reopening Azerbaijan’s tourism industry to major European markets.
- The airline is operating the Baku-Geneva route twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays, using the Airbus A319 fleet.
- This reinstatement is part of Azerbaijan Airlines’ growth strategy, which includes new aircraft orders, airline partnerships, and the launch of new routes to various destinations.
After over three years of absence due to the pandemic, Geneva Airport recently welcomed back an old airline visitor as Azerbaijan Airlines officially reinstated flight services to the Swiss city. Although this highly popular route was reactivated much later than others, having non-stop flight services to Geneva again will reopen Azerbaijan’s tourism industry to major European markets.
Returning to Geneva
Having first commenced in October 2018, Azerbaijan Airlines initially offered non-stop flight services from Baku’s Heydar Aliyev International Airport to Geneva Airport with the Airbus A319 fleet. Configured for 114 passengers, the narrowbody was utilized twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, allowing the flag carrier to transport an estimated 228 passengers to the Swiss city weekly.
But in February 2020, the vastly popular route was suspended following the global pandemic outbreak. Besides being one of the last routes to be suspended years ago, the Baku-Geneva service is also one of the last few to be reinstated back into the airline’s network in the post-pandemic era after Azerbaijan Airlines announced intentions to resume non-stop flight services from September 30th.
And just like that, flight JS 5009 was back in active service with the Airbus A319 fleet utilized like before. Albeit the airline is operating the resumed Baku-Geneva route on flight different days, explicitly keeping the twice-weekly frequency but on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The updated flight schedule is as follows:
|
Flight number |
Departure time |
Arrival time |
Frequency |
|
JS 5009 (GYD – GVA) |
09:00 |
12:05 |
Wednesdays & Thursdays |
|
JS 5010 (GVA – GYD) |
13:05 |
19:30 |
Growth for Azerbaijan Airlines
While the route reinstatement is primarily aimed at meeting the growing demand for non-stop air travel between Azerbaijan and Switzerland, it also signals the next installment of progressive growth for the flag carrier throughout this year. From new aircraft orders for its wide and narrowbody fleet to resuming flight services and even launching new routes, Azerbaijan Airlines is undoubtedly accelerating full speed ahead.
Azerbaijan Airlines also upgraded airline partnerships by inking a codeshare agreement with Air Astana for their five-times-weekly route between Baku and Almaty. And concerning the new routes, the airline has been busy launching flight services to various destinations, such as Vienna and Barcelona during the summer and to Islamad, Lahore, and Karachi in September; these are using the Airbus A319 fleet.
There were also new flights from Baku to Chisinau on a twice-weekly frequency, using the Embraer E-190. Then, just a few days ago, on October 2nd, the flag carrier launched yet another new flight service connecting Baku with Minsk National Airport. This route will be operated four times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Bottom line
Given Azerbaijan Airlines’ ongoing trajectory, more new routes for the rest of this year are undoubtedly incoming. Another exciting development worth seeing from this month onwards would be the flag carrier’s absorption of its previous low-cost subsidiary, Buta Airways, and the overall route network and fleet composition once the merger is completed.