Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan’s private airline Airblue has launched direct flights between Lahore and Baku, to improve connectivity and ties with friendly countries in the region.
The new route, announced by Pakistan’s embassy in Azerbaijan, is being viewed as part of Islamabad’s strategy to expand air links and enhance economic and diplomatic engagement with Azerbaijan.
Airblue will run two flights on this route per week, which will take the total number of weekly flights between Lahore and Baku to ten; two each by PIA and Airblue while six by Azerbaijan Airlines.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) previously launched direct flights from Lahore to Baku, and Azerbaijan Airlines has been operating flights between Baku and Islamabad since 2023.
“A significant advancement in relations between Azerbaijan & Pakistan has been achieved with #Airblue‘s inaugural direct flights between Baku-Lahore,” Azerbaijan’s ambassador in Pakistan – Khazar Farhadov – wrote in a social post on X.
A significant advancement in relations between 🇦🇿 & 🇵🇰 has been achieved with #Airblue‘s inagural direct flights between Baku-Lahore. This increases the total number of direct weekly flights to ten, by #AZAL (6), #PIA Pakistan(2) and #Airblue (2) between brotherly 🇦🇿&🇵🇰. pic.twitter.com/WvzZqjKMbN
— Khazar Farhadov 🇦🇿 (@k_farhadov) May 2, 2026
The expansion of air connectivity comes as Pakistan seeks to position itself as a regional hub linking South Asia with Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Improved transport links are expected to facilitate trade, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, areas that both Islamabad and Baku have prioritized in recent years.
Pakistan and Azerbaijan share close diplomatic relations, underpinned by cooperation in defense, trade, investment, and agriculture.
Enhanced air travel options could further strengthen these ties by reducing travel time and improving accessibility for business communities and tourists alike.
The Lahore–Baku route is expected to play a role in supporting tourism flows and commercial exchanges, offering travelers a direct link between the two countries.
As regional connectivity becomes an increasing priority for Islamabad, aviation developments like this are likely to remain central to its foreign and economic policy agenda.
