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Israeli President Isaac Herzog crossed Turkish airspace on a scheduled commercial flight to reach Baku for a summit Wednesday, Turkish officials said, two years after Ankara denied his plane permission to overfly Türkiye for a trip to Azerbaijan.
Under international civil aviation rules, Türkiye cannot request passenger lists for civilian commercial flights crossing its airspace, and Herzog used a scheduled flight to make the transit, according to the officials.
The officials did not give further details.
Türkiye has barred Israeli official flights from its airspace over the Gaza war, and the trip highlights how Israel's leadership has reached Azerbaijan, a close ally of both Ankara and Israel.
Flightradar24 data show Herzog flew to Baku aboard an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Images of the aircraft show AZAL markings and a "Dreamliner" logo near the door.
In November 2024, Türkiye rejected a request for Herzog’s plane to use Turkish airspace to travel to Baku for the COP29 climate summit.
Herzog arrived in Azerbaijan on Oct. 14 to attend the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and was welcomed at Heydar Aliyev International Airport by Deputy Prime Minister Samir Sharifov, Azerbaijan’s presidency said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met Herzog the same day.
Herzog congratulated Azerbaijan on its CICA chairmanship and described its extension for the 2026-2028 term as a reflection of the trust placed in the country, the presidency said.
Aliyev thanked Herzog for his assessment, and the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and international and regional issues, according to the statement, as questions over Herzog's route through Turkish airspace drew attention in Türkiye.
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