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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned visit to Azerbaijan, citing a “tight political schedule,” according to a statement from his office. However, Israeli media have linked the cancellation to Türkiye’s refusal to grant overflight permission for the prime minister’s official aircraft.
The Walla news outlet reported that Netanyahu considered rerouting the flight through Greek and Bulgarian airspace, but abandoned the option as it would have nearly doubled the travel time.
Previously, in response to speculation circulating on social media, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry firmly denied claims that overflight permission had been granted for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s aircraft. In a statement issued on Saturday, the ministry spokesperson said, “Allegations that the Israeli Prime Minister’s aircraft received flight permission are completely unfounded. No such request was communicated to us.”
This is not the first incident in which diplomatic travel between Israel and Azerbaijan has been disrupted by regional airspace issues. In November 2024, Israeli President Isaac Herzog abruptly canceled a scheduled visit to attend the United Nations COP29 climate summit in Baku. At the time, reports suggested the real reason for the cancellation was Türkiye’s decision to block Israeli access to its airspace.
Currently, direct flights from Israel to Azerbaijan typically require crossing the airspace of Türkiye, Syria, Iraq, or Iran.
Since early 2024, Türkiye has reportedly closed its airspace to Israeli aircraft in response to Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
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