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NAGORNO KARABAKH AIRPORT REOPENS, BUT FLIGHTS DELAYED
Business New Europe
http://www.bne.eu/story4049/Nagorno_Karabakh_airport_reopens_but_flights_delay ed
Oct 2 2012
The international airport in Stepanakert, capital of the separatist
Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR), officially reopened on October 1.
However, flights are yet to take off.
Flights connecting Stepanakert with Yerevan are expected to start in
the near future, officials from Nagorno Karabakh claim, according to
reports in the Armenian press. However, permission from Azerbaijan ~V
which officially controls the republic - is needed for that to happen,
and given the recent rise in tension between Baku and Yerevan, that
looks unlikely for the meantime.
The airport has been out of use since the war between separatist
Nagorno Karabakhi forces, backed by Armenia, and the Azeri army
broke out in 1998. However, the de facto independent Nagorno Karabakh
authorities have funded its re-construction, with the aim of initially
launching three flights a week to connect Stepanakert with Yerevan.
The head of the NKR Civil Aviation Department, Valeri Adbashyan,
said in an interview with News.am that the airport had received
certification confirming its compliance with international standards
and giving it the right to receive and dispatch flights.
However, as Nagorno Karabakh's independence is not internationally
recognised, the republic officially remains part of Azerbaijan. That
means permission from the Azeri authorities is needed if flights are
to be launched, but Baku has consistently said it will not give the
go ahead. In fact, the Azeri~Rs have threatened to shoot down any
planes violating Azerbaijani airspace by flying over Nagorno Karabakh.
In July 2012, the Azerbaijani State Civil Aviation Administration
said in a statement that planned flights between Stepanakert and
Yerevan would represent an invasion of Azeri airspace and "taking
corresponding measures in connection with that is inevitable."
Another issue blocking the Stepanakert runway is the financial
situation at Armenian flag carrier Armavia. The airline's flights from
Yerevan's Zvartnots international airport were suspended on September
20 after it failed to pay its service charges. Armavia is now due to
be sold off to avoid bankruptcy.
Business New Europe
http://www.bne.eu/story4049/Nagorno_Karabakh_airport_reopens_but_flights_delay ed
Oct 2 2012
The international airport in Stepanakert, capital of the separatist
Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR), officially reopened on October 1.
However, flights are yet to take off.
Flights connecting Stepanakert with Yerevan are expected to start in
the near future, officials from Nagorno Karabakh claim, according to
reports in the Armenian press. However, permission from Azerbaijan ~V
which officially controls the republic - is needed for that to happen,
and given the recent rise in tension between Baku and Yerevan, that
looks unlikely for the meantime.
The airport has been out of use since the war between separatist
Nagorno Karabakhi forces, backed by Armenia, and the Azeri army
broke out in 1998. However, the de facto independent Nagorno Karabakh
authorities have funded its re-construction, with the aim of initially
launching three flights a week to connect Stepanakert with Yerevan.
The head of the NKR Civil Aviation Department, Valeri Adbashyan,
said in an interview with News.am that the airport had received
certification confirming its compliance with international standards
and giving it the right to receive and dispatch flights.
However, as Nagorno Karabakh's independence is not internationally
recognised, the republic officially remains part of Azerbaijan. That
means permission from the Azeri authorities is needed if flights are
to be launched, but Baku has consistently said it will not give the
go ahead. In fact, the Azeri~Rs have threatened to shoot down any
planes violating Azerbaijani airspace by flying over Nagorno Karabakh.
In July 2012, the Azerbaijani State Civil Aviation Administration
said in a statement that planned flights between Stepanakert and
Yerevan would represent an invasion of Azeri airspace and "taking
corresponding measures in connection with that is inevitable."
Another issue blocking the Stepanakert runway is the financial
situation at Armenian flag carrier Armavia. The airline's flights from
Yerevan's Zvartnots international airport were suspended on September
20 after it failed to pay its service charges. Armavia is now due to
be sold off to avoid bankruptcy.