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Azerbaijan upgrades air navigation system with EBRD loan
The Civil Aviation Authority in Azerbaijan (AZAL) is to improve aviation safety and expand traffic-handling capacity with the help of a US$ 13.7 million (ECU 11 million) loan provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Stijn Albregts, Director of the EBRD's Azerbaijan team, said: "The EBRD's loan should help AZAL achieve greater reliability and a higher standard of services and maintenance. The revamped air navigation system will meet international aviation standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. The improvements should also enable AZAL to meet future traffic demand and accommodate new routes, thereby increasing its foreign exchange earnings."
The loan will help to finance an urgently needed capital investment programme to modernise Azerbaijan's air navigation system. This includes air traffic control services throughout Azeri airspace as well as terminal and airport control services in the capital city of Baku. Rehabilitation of the control tower complex to house the air traffic control equipment and to provide operation rooms will also be financed by the loan.
After achieving independence in 1991, Azerbaijan gained full and exclusive control of its airspace. This covers most of the national airspace as well as an important area over the international waters of the Caspian Sea and a portion of airspace in the north, over the territory of the Russian Federation. AZAL, established in April 1992 as a fully state-owned autonomous commercial entity, is currently the sole authority and provider for civil aviation activities in Azerbaijan.
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