Azerbaijan tourism push revives debate over private investment at country's Baku gateway

The incidence of private sector engagement in the airport sector in the CIS countries in West Asia, the remnant of the old Soviet days in the region, is growing fast.

So far, Azerbaijan has not joined the party, although some preliminary talks are understood to have taken place with entities that could participate in PPP projects.

The country's main airport, at the capital Baku, is owned fully by the state and operated by the state-owned airline, AZAL.

It isn't "in a state"; in fact it has won Skytrax awards, the most recent one in 2024.

But Azerbaijan's president wants to double overseas tourist visits, and as part of that he is looking towards a new terminal building at Baku.

The country sits in a region where new terminals are increasingly commonplace, and many of them are funded by private concerns. Is now the time for Azerbaijan to join them?

There is also the question of how Baku might provide help with a sudden increase in travel to and from Iran if the regime there should fall. While relations have been strained in the past, Iranian aviation is not in a good place to pick up the threads quickly.

This report also chronicles the degree of airport privatisation in the CIS and neighbouring countries, with examples.