Building of the transportation infrastructure is another key direction of the restoration work. For this purpose there are many projects which are underway now.
3 international airports will be built in the liberated territories during 2021-2023. The first one will be commissioned by the end of the year in Fuzuli. The second airport in Zangilan will be ready next year, and the third one in Lachin will be commissioned in 2023.
The largest passenger aircraft Airbus A340-500, which belongs to Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) CJSC, made a test flight and landed in the Fuzuli international airport on September 5, 2021. Thus, Azerbaijan has actually set a world record by building an international airport in 8 months. The test flight has already been made, and the regular flights will start in the year-end.
The foundations of Zangilan and Lachin airports have already been laid, and there are already construction operations running here.
In parallel with the construction of airports, the work on building of new traffic roads in the region is underway. One of them is Ahmadbeyli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway which is also called the “Victory Road”. Its length is 101km. This road will cover over 20 dwelling settlements, including the cities of Fuzuli and Shusha.
There is one more road planned to be built toward Shusha. Its launch is fixed for 2024. This category I motor road will start from the 157th km of Hajigabul-Horadiz-Agbend-Zangazur highway. Its length will make 81.6km. Construction of bridges and tunnels on the road will make it a high-speed highway.
Road construction is running also in other parts of Karabakh. Another grand project on construction of the tunnel under the “Murovdag” ridge was launched with the participation of the country’s President early in August. A 23.4km long tunnel will be built on Toghanali (Geygel district) – Kalbajar highway. The tunnel will make it possible to ensure comfortable flow of traffic despite the harsh climate of the highlands and whims of nature.
The construction of Horadiz-Jabrayil-Zangilan-Agbend highway began in spring of this year, which will be laid toward the border with Armenia and run parallel to the same name railway. This road is also of strategic importance, as it is a part of the Hajigabul-Horadiz-Agbend-Zangezur transport corridor. A 123.8km long highway starts in Ahmadbeyli village of Fuzuli district. Proceeding from the development plan of East Zangezur, it will be built in accordance with the first technical category, have four and six lanes. A 76-km long section of the road will consist of 6 lanes, while the rest 48km long section will have 4 lanes.
This will be a kind of a road hub because underconstruction Ahmadbeyli-Fuzuli-Shusha, Shukyurbeyli-Jabrayil-Hadrut and Khudaferin-Gubadli-Lachin highways start from this road. A few more highways are planned to be built in the region.
Along with the construction of the motor road infrastructure, the Azerbaijani authorities are also working over the restoration of railways. Azerbaijan Railways CJSC is currently performing operations in Karabakh and East Zangazur on design and construction of railways in the three directions: Horadiz-Nakhchivan (a 115km long railway till the Armenian border), Shusha and Agdam.
Building of Zangazur corridor is the largest transport project. This project will connect the west regions of Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, providing further access to Turkey. According to the authorities, the construction of the railway from Horadiz toward the border with Armenia will take two years. In the framework of the Zangazur Corridor, it is planned to build new railways with the length of 166km from Horadiz to Nakhchivan, including a 40km section within Armenia. Besides, a 158km -long section has to be fully renovated within the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Alongside this, operations on the construction of the 45km-long Barda-Agdam railway are currently underway. Over 20km of the railway section has already been built in the direction of Agdam. However, the performance of these operations is getting complicated due to the necessity of mine-clearing along the route area.
Moreover, there are also plans to build a railway to Khankendi and in the direction of Shusha city. Engineering work is currently carried out within the framework of the railway project to Shusha. As to the construction of the railway to Khankendi, according to the preliminary plan, its length will make 104km, but the construction of this railway is not yet among the main priorities as it will be a next stage project.
