Heydar Aliyev International Airport (Azerbaijani: Heydər Əliyev adına Beynəlxalq Hava Limanı; IATA: GYD; ICAO: UBBB) is the principal international gateway to Azerbaijan, located 20 kilometres northeast of central Baku in the Khazar raion. It is owned by the Government of Azerbaijan and operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL).
The airport at a glance
- Location: Khazar raion, Baku — 20 km northeast of the city centre, connected by the Baku Airport Highway
- Coordinates: 40°28′03″N 050°02′48″E · elevation 3 m AMSL
- IATA / ICAO: GYD / UBBB
- Owner: Government of Azerbaijan
- Operator: Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL)
- 2025 passengers: 7.64 million (up from 7.54M in 2024 and 5.7M in 2023)
- Runways: 16/34 (4,000 × 60 m) and 17/35 (3,200 × 45 m), asphalt/concrete
- Terminals: Terminal 1 (international) and Terminal 2 (domestic)
History
Aviation operations at the site began in 1933, when the original Baku Airport opened. A new passenger terminal was inaugurated in 1964. On 31 August 1990 the airport gained international status, and a second terminal was presented in 1997. A new runway followed in 1998. The airport was renamed after Heydar Aliyev on 10 March 2004, in honour of the third President of Azerbaijan whose modernisation programme transformed the country’s transport infrastructure.
The cargo terminal opened in March 2005. The current iconic Terminal 1 was inaugurated on 23 April 2014, designed by the British engineering firm Arup Group with interiors by the Turkish design studio AUTOBAN. The terminal’s signature glass-and-wood “cocoons” — large freestanding wooden structures inside the glass envelope — quickly became one of the most distinctive architectural statements in any modern international airport. Direct flights to New York launched the same year. In October 2023 Heydar Aliyev became the first airport globally to migrate its operations entirely to cloud technologies.
Awards and recognition
- Skytrax 5-star Regional Airport (since 7 May 2018) — one of a handful of airports worldwide to hold the rating
- Skytrax Best Airport in Central Asia and the CIS (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 — five consecutive years)
- Skytrax Best Airport Staff in Central Asia and the CIS (2022, 2023, 2024)
- ACA Level 3 (Airport Carbon Accreditation) sustainability certification
- ACI ASQ (Airport Service Quality) award
- APEX in Safety certification
- Member of ACI Europe since 19 April 2024
Airlines based at GYD
- Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) — flag carrier, primary hub
- Buta Airways — AZAL’s low-cost subsidiary
- Silk Way Airlines — major cargo carrier
- Silk Way West Airlines — long-haul cargo
- Azal Avia Cargo — cargo subsidiary of AZAL
- ASG Business Aviation — business jet operator
Cargo capacity
The cargo terminal can simultaneously handle nine Boeing 747s, Antonov An-124 freighters, fifteen Ilyushin Il-76s, or two Boeing 777-class aircraft — making it the largest cargo facility in the South Caucasus and a critical node on the trans-Caspian “Middle Corridor” trade route.
Recent traffic growth
- 2022: 4.4 million passengers (post-COVID recovery)
- 2023: 5.7 million passengers (+30%)
- 2024: 7.54 million passengers (+31%)
- 2025: 7.64 million passengers — making GYD the busiest airport in Azerbaijan and the 11th busiest in the post-Soviet states
Read the full breakdown in our 2025 traffic summary.
About this site
airportbaku.com is an independent passenger guide to Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD), Baku. It is not the official website of the airport. We publish: live arrivals and departures (refreshed continuously via the AeroDataBox API), airline profiles, transport options (Aero Express, official taxi, car rental, parking), visa information, the airport’s full shop & dine directory, and editorial coverage of new routes and capacity changes.
Quantitative airport facts on this site are sourced from the official airport (airport.az), the airport’s annual statistical releases, and Wikipedia where appropriate. Traveller-facing rates and outlet listings are verified against the official airport website. Live flight data comes from AeroDataBox; gate and status information should always be confirmed with your airline’s app or the official airport website before travel.
For airport operational queries, contact the official Heydar Aliyev International Airport helpdesk on +994 12 497 27 27 (24/7).