AZE.US
Azerbaijan could more than double its annual revenue from international freight transportation to nearly 7 billion manats ($4.12 billion) as it expands its ports and develops new transit routes, according to lawmaker Vugar Bayramov.
Bayramov was commenting on President Ilham Aliyev’s remarks at the Fourth Shusha Global Media Forum, where the Azerbaijani leader highlighted the country’s long-term investment in regional connectivity.
“Our sea trade port, with a capacity of 15 million tons, is the largest on the Caspian Sea, and its capacity will be expanded to handle 25 million tons,” Aliyev said.
Bayramov said Azerbaijan’s transport policy is turning the country into a major regional logistics hub. International freight operations, he added, strengthen Azerbaijan’s geopolitical position while creating a growing source of non-oil revenue.
The lawmaker said the planned Zangezur Corridor, with an estimated annual capacity of 15 million tons, could become an important segment of the Middle Corridor linking Asia and Europe through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus.
According to figures cited by Bayramov, Azerbaijani railways transported 16.813 million tons of cargo in 2025. International shipments accounted for 14.269 million tons, including 6.695 million tons of transit cargo.
Imports made up 4.723 million tons, while exports totaled 2.850 million tons.
Rail freight operations generated 383.996 million manats ($225.9 million) in revenue, of which 333.911 million manats ($196.4 million) came from international transportation.
Air cargo generated 2.398 billion manats ($1.41 billion), with international shipments accounting for nearly the entire amount.
Azerbaijan also earned:
- 57.382 million manats ($33.8 million) from international maritime freight;
- 266.560 million manats ($156.8 million) from pipeline transportation;
- 204.275 million manats ($120.2 million) from international road freight.
The trend continued during the first quarter of 2026. Rail freight generated 96.049 million manats ($56.5 million), including 81.765 million manats ($48.1 million) from international shipments.
Air cargo revenue reached 571.292 million manats ($336.1 million), almost all of it from international transportation.
“Official figures show that revenue from international freight transportation reached 3.3 billion manats last year,” Bayramov said. “Achieving the target set by the president could allow Azerbaijan to earn close to 7 billion manats annually.”
That would increase international freight revenue from approximately $1.94 billion to more than $4.1 billion a year, strengthening Azerbaijan’s role as a transit hub between Europe and Asia while supporting the diversification of its economy beyond oil and gas.
AZE.US