AZAL Azerbaijan Airlines (J2, Baku Heydar Aliev International) signed a dry-lease contract with AerCap for an additional three A320neo and three A321neo, without specifying the variants, on October 2, 2024.
According to the lessor's press release, the CFM International LEAP-powered aircraft will be drawn from AerCap's Airbus order book, with deliveries running from Spring 2026 until the end of that year. This represents an increment to AZAL's existing commitment for eight A320-200Ns, of which two will be dry-leased from CDB Aviation and six are direct orders from Airbus, while the six A321-200Ns are due direct from the manufacturer.
The Azeri state-owned carrier plans to deploy the A320neo to European and Asian destinations, while the A321neo will operate to destinations in Türkiye, the Middle East, and India. With this order, the carrier continues its process of fleet renewal and simplification, as outlined last year by the airline's president, Samir Rzaev, to ch-aviation.
AZAL's current narrowbody fleet comprises three A319-100s, six A320-200s, and three Pratt & Whitney-powered A320-200Ns, alongside three A320-200s wet-leased from Heston Airlines (HN, Vilnius), the ch-aviation fleets module shows.
