Khojaly Airport

Karabakh was the middle point of several ruling nations. After the decline of Armenian statehood, the region was rules by Persian, Arab, Turkic and Russian powers. The region came under Russian control after the Russo-Persian wars, leading to demographic changes. While Turkic Muslim became the majority during the Turkic rule, resettlement of Armenians became into the region to allow the Russians to keep power and balance the Turkic Muslim population.

During the Soviet era, Bolsheviks used divide and conquer strategy and gave Nakhchivan and Karabakh to Azerbaijan SSR, while the Zangazur region was given to Armenian SSR. Tensions persisted throughout the Soviet era, but conflict increased when Armenians demanded unification with Armenia in 1988. Ethnic violence, pogroms and mass displacement occurred, leading to full-scale war between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in 1991. With the ceasefire in 1994, the area became de facto Armenian-controlled, but internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

The situation became stable, with periodic clashes along the line of conflict, during the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh. Azerbaijan regained most surrounding districts during the Second Karabakh War in 2020, followed by reasserting full control over the region in 2023, with the de facto Artsakh administration dissolving later that year.

Opened in 1974 as Khojaly Airport, the airport mainly served routes to Baku and Yerevan. It is a typical Soviet regional airport: a small terminal, gravel/asphalt runway and operations with Antonov An-24 and Yakovlev Yak-40 aircraft. Flights halted in the early 1990s due to escalating conflict, although some limited evacuation flights were operated towards Yerevan. The airport became damaged during the First Karabakh War, after which a new terminal and runway were built by the de facto Artsakh authorities. The airport stayed unused due to Azerbaijani objections, ICAO non-recognition and security concerns.

The airport is again under Azerbaijani control since the 2023 offensive. During a visit of Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, a presentation for a new airport was made, with the runway being relocated, being longer and wider. A new terminal building located more west than the current building, allowing it to be at the center of the runway.