00:00Aviation connects economies, open markets and brings countries closer together.
00:05But as the industry grows, so does the pressure to reduce emissions and improve efficiency.
00:10For Azerbaijan, sustainable aviation presents an opportunity to strengthen its regional connectivity,
00:16to embrace innovation and embed modern infrastructure.
00:20I'm Nadira Tudor and welcome to Business Horizons.
00:24On today's programme, we're looking at sustainable skies and Azerbaijan's green aviation future.
00:38Mr Karambayli, welcome to Business Horizons.
00:41Thank you very much for having me here.
00:43What does sustainable aviation mean for Azerbaijan and how is Azaal coping with that?
00:48Fleet renewal, data-driven decision-making, infrastructure development and integrated governance and sustainable investment.
01:03Of course, biodiversity and climate resilience is also one of the important pillars for our strategy.
01:10Which sustainability initiatives are delivering the largest operational impact?
01:15Last year, we acquired two Airbus A320neo and this year we also acquired five more.
01:25According to our analysis, so the new aircrafts contributed more than 17% of carbon emission reductions in comparison with
01:37the conventional jet types.
01:39According to our data analysis, so this solution will bring up to 20% of carbon emission by 2032.
01:50How important is fuel efficiency in reducing the aviation emissions?
01:57According to IATA's Net Zero Emission Roadmap, sustainable aviation fuel will consist of 65% of carbon emissions.
02:08And we must look at the future.
02:11What are we expecting in terms of the future of sustainable skies?
02:18Sustainable aviation and sustainable future heavily depend on what we do right now.
02:24Because our actions build our tomorrow.
02:27So if we want to achieve blue skies, sustainable future, no climate disruptions and to achieve, reduce the heat in
02:41the atmosphere, we have to start actions right now.
02:48Azerbaijan Airlines or AZAL is actively reducing its carbon footprint through a new environmental, social and governance or ESG strategy.
02:58Throughout 2025 and mid-2026, AZAL integrated next generation Airbus models into its fleet.
03:06In October 2025, Haida Aliyev International Airport officially achieved Level 3 certification under the Airport Council International's Airport Carbon Accreditation
03:16Programme.
03:16The sustainability push is happening alongside record-breaking airspace demand.
03:21During the summer season of 2026 alone, the volume of air traffic passing through Azerbaijan's airspace recorded an 11%
03:29growth compared to the exact same period last year.
03:45AI navigation services plays an important role in sustainability.
03:49Implementation of AI and automation will not eliminate the human factors.
03:54That's why we need to invest in the human factors, in the technologies for the trainings, as well as in
04:01the implementation of the procedures.
04:03Since we're developing the digital technologies and rapidly implementing the automation in AI navigation services, cyber security becoming more and
04:12more threat.
04:14AI traffic controls need to combine different strong professional skills and competencies.
04:20Amongst them, we can say there's psychological and resilience, quick decision-making.
04:26Why I like this job?
04:28First, it's the responsibility because I like responsibility.
04:31I like the new technologies.
04:33It's always developing and also the people that work in aviation.
04:40Sustainable aviation is a journey that requires innovation, investment and collaboration.
04:46For Azerbaijan, the goal is to connect more of the world while building an efficient aviation future.
04:53That's all for this episode of Business Horizons.
04:55Thanks for watching.
