--- iata: GYD name: Heydar Aliyev International Airport city: Baku country: Azerbaijan lastUpdated: '2026-09-21' officialWebsite: 'https://www.airport.az/en/' sources: - 'https://www.airport.az/en/' - 'https://www.airport.az/en/about-us/' - 'https://www.airport.az/en/guidelines-for-passengers/1.1.2/' - 'https://airport.az/en/procedures/international-departures/' - 'https://www.airport.az/en/procedures/domestic-departures/' - 'https://www.airport.az/en/transport/aero-express/to-airport/' - 'https://www.airport.az/en/transport/airport-taxi/' - 'https://www.airport.az/en/transport/parking/' - 'https://www.airport.az/en/facilities/internet-working-area/' - 'https://www.airport.az/en/facilities/portable-water/' - 'https://www.airport.az/en/shop-dine/' - 'https://www.airport.az/en/shop-dine/cafes/' - >- https://en.apa.az/infrastructure/air-navigation-services-in-azerbaijans-airspace-increase-by-more-than-10-488938 - >- https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/azerbaijan/heydar-aliyev-international - >- https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/azerbaijan/heydar-aliyev-international/gyd-absheron-lounge - >- https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/azerbaijan/heydar-aliyev-international/gyd5-premium-bank-lounge - >- https://my.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/azerbaijan/heydar-aliyev-international/gyd3-salam-lounge - >- https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/azerbaijan/heydar-aliyev-international/gyd4-baku-club - >- https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/azerbaijan/heydar-aliyev-international/gyd2-mugam-lounge - 'https://evisa.gov.az/en/information' - 'https://evisa.gov.az/en/conditions' - 'https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/azerbaijan/entry-requirements' - 'https://www.migration.gov.az/index.php/en/page/49' - 'https://tourism.gov.az/en/pages/visa-regulations' - >- https://help.azal.az/hc/en-us/articles/360009709619-When-does-flight-check-in-at-the-airport-begin - 'https://bolt.eu/en/airports/gyd/' - 'https://www.bakubus.az' quickFacts: - >- Two live passenger halls ~200 m apart: Terminal 1 (Autoban/Arup, opened 23 April 2014, 65,000 m², 12 bridges / 15 gates / 40 desks) is international only. Terminal 2 North is also international (LCC/short-haul, check-in on level 2); T2 South is domestic (Nakhchivan and the rest of Azerbaijan). - >- Operator told APA 14 Jan 2026: more than 7.640 million passengers in 2025 (6.895 million international; ~974,000 transit, +30% vs 750,000 in 2024). Wikipedia leftover 7,537,000 is 2024. Leftover T1 '6 million / currently 3 million' is 2014 capacity language — 2025 already ran above that design. - >- Hub for Azerbaijan Airlines (J2) plus Silk Way cargo. Two CAT III runways: 16/34 4,000 × 60 m and 17/35 3,200 × 45 m, both asphalt-concrete. ICAO UBBB. Bina settlement, Khazar district, ~20 km northeast of central Baku. No metro and no airport rail. - >- Airport: arrive 2 h before Europe/CIS, 3 h before intercontinental; desks close 60 minutes out. Landside security before check-in, then a second X-ray and passport control. AZAL's 2019 help page is the same 2 h / 60 min close for all flights — do not invent a 30-minute close from a reseller. - >- Five 24/7 Priority Pass rooms: Absheron (T1 airside Level 4 near Gate N1, 2 h, alcohol), Premium Bank (T1 Gates 14–15, sleep pods), Salam (T1 landside Zone B by desk 40), Baku Club (T1 ground floor after passport, porter), Mugam (T2 airside 2F opposite Duty Free). All PP stays are 2 hours. - >- H1 Aero Express is 1.30 AZN on a BakıKart (1.50 AZN single-trip card), 24/7, ~30 min to 28 May metro/railway. Official Baku Taxi (red TX4/LEVC) at Terminal 1. Bolt is confirmed at GYD. No metro to the airport. bentoTips: - label: Timing title: Arrive 2–3 hours early for international detail: >- T1 check-in is ground-floor Zones A/B; T2 North check-in is on level 2. AZAL, Turkish and Kuwait have kiosks in both international halls. Read live FIDS before you commit to a hall. summary: >- Airport: 2 h Europe/CIS, 3 h intercontinental; desks close 60 minutes out. International check-in is T1 or T2 North — leftover 'T2 is domestic only' puts you in the wrong building. category: timing - label: Terminals title: 'T1 cocoons, T2 North for many LCCs' detail: >- The halls are about 200 m apart on the same forecourt — there is no airside walk. Nakhchivan J2 banks print T2 South on the live board. Gate signs in T1 still split 13–14 vs 15–16. summary: >- T1 is the Autoban oak-cocoon hall (first flight 23 April 2014 to SAW; all international moved here 1 December 2014). T2 North still handles international; T2 South is domestic. category: terminal - label: Food title: 'Eat after passport control in T1, not at T2 landside' detail: >- T2's Cafe City / 7/Sky / Chinar sit landside on international departures 2F — fine before you clear, useless after. Harvest & Vine is T1 3F Zone A public, so it is not an airside option. summary: >- The useful kitchen is T1 airside 3F: Xurcun, Room, PAUL, The Attack, plus Ay Qonshu on 4F. Landside McDonald's is T1 2F. category: food - label: Visa title: Print the ASAN e-visa; UK/EU/US are not visa-free detail: >- FCDO: passport valid 6 months after arrival. Airport VOA is only for a short list (Gulf states, Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, Israel, Indonesia, Malaysia). Leftover US VOA on a New York–Baku flight is not live. Formula 1 VOA is 25 August–30 September 2026 only. summary: >- Ordinary UK, EU and US passports need evisa.gov.az (USD 20 + USD 5, 3 working days, print it). Turkey, Georgia, Russia and most CIS are visa-free. category: status lounges: - name: Absheron Lounge zone: 'Airside Level 4, near Gate N1' hours: '00:00–23:59 daily; Priority Pass stay capped at 2 hours' access: - Priority Pass (max 2 hours; children under 2 free; digital card) - >- Airline business class as sold (confirm on the J2 / foreign-carrier boarding pass) bestFor: - Priority Pass after T1 passport control - A drink near the N-gates summary: >- The default T1 airside room: 24/7, Level 4 by Gate N1, alcohol on Priority Pass. Reviews sit around 3.1 and the stay is only 2 hours — still the best of the five PP options. verdict: worth-it terminal: Terminal 1 amenities: - 'Alcohol (standard, complimentary on Priority Pass)' - Air conditioning - Disabled access - Newspapers / magazines - name: Premium Bank Lounge zone: Airside near Gates 14 and 15 hours: '00:00–23:59 daily; Priority Pass stay capped at 2 hours' access: - Priority Pass (max 2 hours; children under 2 free; digital card) bestFor: - A nap on a long T1 wait - Gates 14–15 instead of walking up to N1 summary: >- Same 2-hour Priority Pass clock as Absheron, but it publishes sleep pods and sits at Gates 14–15. Sit here for the nap, Absheron for the drink near N1. verdict: depends terminal: Terminal 1 amenities: - Complimentary sleep pods - Alcohol (standard) - Soft drinks - Wi-Fi - Smoking cabins outside the lounge - name: Salam Lounge zone: 'Landside Ground Floor, Zone B, by check-in desk 40' hours: '00:00–23:59 daily; Priority Pass stay capped at 2 hours' access: - Priority Pass (international only; max 2 hours; children under 2 free) bestFor: - Arriving early before T1 landside security - 'A desk-side wait, not an airside wait' summary: >- Highest Priority Pass score on the field (about 3.9) because it is quiet — and landside. Once you clear the first security you cannot walk back in. International only. verdict: depends terminal: Terminal 1 amenities: - Check-in and hand-luggage porter inside the lounge - Soft drinks - Wi-Fi - Flight information - name: Baku Club zone: 'Airside ground floor after passport control, near Duty Free' hours: '00:00–23:59 daily; Priority Pass stay capped at 2 hours' access: - Priority Pass (max 2 hours; children under 2 free; digital card) bestFor: - A short sit by Duty Free - Porter service if you are loaded summary: >- Priority Pass lists soft drinks, not alcohol. Staff want your bag tags so a porter can bring the hold bags to the room. Two-hour cap, ground floor after passport control. verdict: depends terminal: Terminal 1 amenities: - Complimentary porter (they take your bag tags at registration) - Soft drinks - Wi-Fi - Disabled access - name: Mugam Lounge zone: 'Airside 2nd floor opposite Duty Free, after passport control (turn right)' hours: '00:00–23:59 daily; Priority Pass stay capped at 2 hours' access: - >- Priority Pass (international only; max 2 hours; children under 2 free; digital card) bestFor: - T2 North international departures summary: >- The only Priority Pass room in Terminal 2, and it is international-only — useless for T2 South domestic. After passport control turn right; 2F facing Duty Free. About 3.1 on Priority Pass. verdict: depends terminal: Terminal 2 amenities: - Alcohol (standard) - Soft drinks - Wi-Fi - Televisions waterOptions: - kind: free name: Airside drinking fountains zone: airside summary: >- The cheapest hydrate after the second X-ray empties the bottle. The page does not pin a gate number — walk the hold rather than buying first. location: >- Official copy: drinking fountains in all airside areas of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, for departing and arriving passengers terminal: Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 isBestValue: true - kind: purchase name: T1 airside café bottle zone: airside price: Unpublished at the till — buy here only if the airside fountains are dry summary: >- The 3F airside strip is the bottle fallback after security. No reliable posted AZN this pass. location: >- PAUL, Room, Xurcun or The Attack on T1 3F international departures after passport control terminal: Terminal 1 isBestQuality: true - kind: purchase name: T1 landside McDonald's / Starbucks bottle zone: landside price: Unpublished at the till summary: >- Only useful before the first security — that checkpoint still empties a full bottle. Do not count on taking it airside. location: McDonald's on T1 2F landside; Starbucks on T1 2F (official cafe list) terminal: Terminal 1 - kind: purchase name: T2 landside café bottle zone: landside price: Unpublished at the till summary: >- T2 international landside cafés before passport control. After you go airside, sit Mugam or the T2 fountains instead. location: >- Cafe City Bistro / 7/Sky / Chinar on T2 2F international departures landside terminal: Terminal 2 airportistScore: 7.2 slug: gyd region: Europe --- > Markdown for [/airports/gyd](/airports/gyd). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/gyd) - [Lounge directory](/airports/gyd/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) Baku, Azerbaijan · Europe Baku's hub is a 2014 Autoban hall plus a still-live Terminal 2: international check-in is T1 or T2 North, five 24/7 Priority Pass rooms with a 2-hour cap, and a 1.30 AZN Aero Express — paid for with dual security, an e-visa you must print, and no metro. ## Airportist Score **7.2 / 10** Weighted sum of the six published categories (no holistic fudge). - Ease of use (25%): 7.2 — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout. - Comfort & amenities (20%): 7.8 — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet. - Food & retail (15%): 7.2 — Food and retail quality and variety. - Ground access (15%): 7.2 — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city. - Reliability (15%): 6.4 — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience. - Lounges (10%): 7.4 — Worth-it density and access quality. ## At a glance - Passengers: 7.640 million (2025) - Terminals: 2 live halls ~200 m apart: T1 international (Autoban, 2014); T2 North international LCC + T2 South domestic. No airside walk. - Typical security: 20 min - On-time: 0% - Disruption: normal ## Best for - AZAL / Silk Way connections that can sit Absheron after T1 passport control - Budget city rides on the 1.30 AZN H1 Aero Express to 28 May - Priority Pass holders who want a 24/7 room in T1 or T2 North ## Watch out for - Leftover 'T2 is domestic only' — T2 North is still international; there is no airside walk between halls - UK/EU/US ordinary passports need a printed ASAN e-visa; leftover US visa-on-arrival is not live - No metro and no airport rail; leftover global Uber vs local Uber AZ is leftover-conflicting — sit Bolt or official Baku Taxi ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/gyd/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/gyd/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/gyd/amenities.md) (free) - [Traveler tips](/airports/gyd/tips.md) (free) - [Water](/airports/gyd/water.md) (free) - [Full guide](/airports/gyd/guide.md) (free) - [Disruptions](/airports/gyd/disruptions.md) (free) - [Reviews](/airports/gyd/reviews.md) (free)