Florian Sengstschmid: Number of flights between Tel Aviv and Baku returning to pre-war levels

Azerbaijan is working to develop bilateral tourism ties with Israel, with flights between Tel Aviv and Baku returning to pre-war levels this month, Florian Sengstschmid, CEO of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, told JNS during an official visit for the annual Israeli Tourism expo, Report informs.

“Azerbaijan continues to be open and safe for Israeli tourists,” he said. “It is an important message that we are here.”

Only 12 countries, including Azerbaijan, sent representatives to Tel Aviv Tourism Exhibition on April 3-4, which focused on promoting tourism to Israel after the war, while some two dozen other nations other participated in the event last year were notably absent. The additional countries participating in the event were France, Czech Republic, Cyprus, El Salvador, Taiwan, India, Greece, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Romania and Ethiopia.

The state-run Azerbaijan Airlines resumed direct flights from Baku to Tel Aviv last month, and is now operating nine weekly flights between the two cities. Together with the three flights that Israir is also relaunching at the end of the month, the number of flights between the two countries is now returning to pre-war levels, Azerbaijani tourism officials said.

“There is this perception of Azerbaijan as Muslim nation, but it is really a colorful tapestry and destination showcasing a multi-ethnic society,” he added. He noted that many Israelis had thanked him for coming to the tourism expo during wartime.

Thirty thousand Israelis visited Azerbaijan last year, which remained a safe haven for Israelis as antisemitism surged in European capitals and around the globe following the October 7 Hamas massacre.

Last year, Azerbaijan made history by becoming the first Shi’ite country to open an embassy in Israel.

The article notes that for Israel, ties with Azerbaijan - which shares a 428-mile border with Iran and supplies and estimated 30% of the Jewish state’s oil - are of strategic importance. At the same time, Azerbaijan is a leading purchaser of Israeli military hardware, which helped lift Baku to victory in its 2020 war with archrival Armenia.

About 25,000-30,000 Jews live in Azerbaijan today.