Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.25
By Sabina Ahmadova - Trend:
The U.S. government looks forward to continuing its work with Azerbaijan in the field of civil aviation and to further strengthening the economic cooperation, the U.S. embassy in Azerbaijan said.
The embassy said the first flight carried out by the Azerbaijani Airlines (AZAL) to the U.S. marks the culmination of several years of close cooperation between the U.S. government and the government of Azerbaijan.
"These flights will support the development of tourism and cargo trade and expand people-to-people exchanges to build understanding and strengthen the bonds of friendship between our two countries."
The embassy said the U.S. Trade and Development Agency funded two phases of aviation safety technical assistance to help the State Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) of Azerbaijan effectively fulfill Azerbaijan's safety oversight obligations as a member state of the International Civil Aviation Organization in all eight critical elements.
"The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration subsequently ranked Azerbaijan in Category 1 for aviation safety in March 2014, following its International Aviation Safety Assessment. This categorization permits Azerbaijani air carriers to initiate direct flights to the United States. "
Finally, Azerbaijan Airlines and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration cooperated closely over the past several months to ensure Azerbaijan meets all of the aviation security requirements for initiating direct flights to the United States, according to the U.S. embassy.