-LACHIN, AZERBAIJAN — MAY 28, 2025: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the Lachin International Airport on Wednesday, May 28. Erdogan is in Lachin city to attend a series of events marking Azerbaijan’s Independence Day. The Lachin International Airport is the third airport built by Azerbaijan in territories liberated during the 2020 war with Armenia. Lachin Airport, located 1,800 meters above sea level, has officially been granted international status by a decree signed by Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov on May 26, raising the country’s number of international airports to nine. Constructed by leveling mountainous terrain and carving through rock, the airport is now the highest-altitude air hub in Azerbaijan. Work began in 2021, and the facility is situated 30 kilometers from Lachin city center, 70 kilometers from Shusha, and 60 kilometers from Kalbajar. The airport features a 3,000-meter-long, 60-meter-wide runway and a terminal capable of handling 200 passengers per hour. Lachin is the third airport built in territories recaptured by Azerbaijan. Fuzuli International Airport opened in October 2021, followed by Zangilan International Airport in October 2022—both inaugurated by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.