The main reason for the loss of AZAL is Jahangir Askerov

Azerbaijanis are not happy with the high prices for flights by domestic state-owned AZAL airlines, but they love it, comparing the level of service and the softness of landing AZAL airliners with other companies. Our passengers say that the airliners of the Turkish airline are operated by former military pilots, and therefore they land planes roughly, just like the passengers in the Russian airplanes are served. The airport named after Heydar Aliyeva is beautiful, and foreign passengers go straight from the cabin of the plane to the carpets at the Baku airport.

Recently, the love of Azerbaijanis has faced an unpleasant international truth. In the rating according to Skytrax version 2017, AZAL ranks the 71st. It is not even in the top ten. Qatar Airways ranks the first, Singapore Airlines - the second; then come ANA (Japan), the top five are Emirates and Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong.)

The company "Azerbaijan Airlines" established in 1992, has 25 aircraft flying to 40 destinations in 25 countries. In 2016, the company carried more than two million passengers.

On June 20, the site of the American company Boeing announced the intention of AZAL to buy four Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, which together are estimated at approximately 918 million dollars. This news was quickly reprinted by the Azerbaijani media and should have brought a flush of pride to the domestic experts. However, economist Natik Jafarli reacted sharply negatively. He reminded that AZAL is a monopolist in the Azerbaijani market of air transportation, but its work is unprofitable. In 2016, 98.5% of passengers in Azerbaijan flew with AZAL. Therefore, the services of this company are expensive, nevertheless they annually close the year with a loss. AZAL receives subsidies from the state budget and takes loans from the Central Bank, which it is unable to return.

The economist estimated that one plane a year earns $15,000, with the deduction of taxes and other unavoidable expenses. Making two flights a day on average on the medium-range route, one new Dreamliner can recoup the $250 million spent for it over 23 years. For this, the aircraft must make 16,667 flights.

Natik Jafarli is sure that there cannot be any economic benefit from the acquisition of four Dreamliner. People fly abroad from Tbilisi. The $918 million will be given as a "cultural bribe" to America, that is, to Trump, so that he does not say unpleasant words about Azerbaijan," the economist believes.

Huseyn Mammadli echoes him. He flew from Baku to London, in the 210-seat liner only 20 seats were occupied. The author of this article also flew to London three years ago, but on that flight all the seats were occupied.

The loss of AZAL is surprising, said President I.Aliyev at one of the meetings, and the head of the airline Jahangir Askerov does not build airports at his own expense, and buys local fuel at a cheap price, was surprised. I.Aliyev said this in order to force AZAL to reduce prices for tickets. The prices have been slightly reduced, but flying from Tbilisi is still more profitable. Indeed, Azerbaijanis are massively traveling to Georgia to fly to Europe from there. It seems that AZAL's goal is to sponsor the Georgian economy.

Maybe it is so, if you recall the publications on the website of Meydan TV banned in Azerbaijan about the secret business and real estate owned by Jahangir Askerov and his family. Managing a large airline is not the only activity of Jahangir Askerov, and clearly not the main thing, if you know the scale of his personal empire. J.Askerov was appointed president of AZAL in 1996 by the late President Heydar Aliyev, for whom he sang arias in airplanes, entertaining the president on long flights.

The name of Jahangir Askerov is more associated with the company Qazelli which illegally conducted the lottery. The State Committee for Securities of Azerbaijan has stated about illegal actions of this company. Gazelli belongs to Zarifa Gamzayeva, the wife of the President of the State Concern of Azerbaijan Airlines OJSC Jahangir. The authorized capital of the enterprise is 18.7 million manat (Turan).

The journalist Afgan Mukhtarly secretly taken out of Georgia and placed in the detention center worked on a file on the business of the Aliyevs family, in which a separate place was given to J.Askerov. Mukhtarly discovered that on February 20, 2010 the stocks of the Azerbaijani airline SW-INN were owned by Malahat Jahangir Askerova (35%), Jamila Jahangir Askerova (35%), and Sanan Zaur Akhundov (30%). Malahat and Jamila are the daughters of the president of AZAL, Jahangir Askerov. They also own stocks of Silk Way Holding together with Ilham Aliyev's daughter, Arzu Aliyeva. Akhundov is the president of Silk Way Holding and a member of the board of the State Administration of Civil Aviation of the Republic of Azerbaijan. According to the Board of Directors of SW-INN dated May 11, 2011, Akhundov sold his 30% interest to Zarifa Kamil Khamzayeva, who is also a shareholder of Silk Way Holding and Jahangir Askerov's wife.

The SW-INN assets extend far beyond Tbilisi to the Batumi region. On June 17, 2011, Khamzaeva purchased 999 square meters of non-agricultural land on Khimshiashvili Street in Batumi for one lari (40 cents). On June 19, 2013 Khamzayev together with the co-owner of this land renamed the company in Gloria LLC, and were able to increase the company's share capital to 3.3 million lari (1.4 million dollars.)

We cited a small fragment of the article devoted to the investigations of A.Mukhtarly. The article abounds with the dates, addresses and names of the companies that are members of the Askerov family business empire. How can AZAL work successfully if the head of its president is occupied with much more important personal matters for him? -0--