Drone Attack on Nakhchivan Airport Narrows Key Europe-Asia Air Corridor

On March 5, 2026, a drone strike at Nakhchivan International Airport in Azerbaijan resulted in civilian injuries and led to the closure of the airport and southern Azerbaijani airspace.

The incident prompted Azerbaijani authorities to issue a NOTAM and temporarily restrict the southern sector of the country’s airspace, reducing available routes for international flights between Europe and Asia.

As a result of the closure, only a narrow passage through Azerbaijani airspace remained open, with the corridor estimated to be about 50 miles wide. This route, known as the Ganja Gap, lies between Russian airspace to the north and Iranian airspace to the south, and has become increasingly important for global aviation.

Western airlines have relied on the South Caucasus corridor via Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey since 2022, when access to Russian airspace was restricted and Iranian airspace was deemed unsafe due to ongoing conflict.

What the numbers show

• The drone attack occurred on March 5, 2026
• The open air corridor through Azerbaijan narrowed to roughly 50 miles wide
• Western carriers have avoided Russian airspace since 2022

The war in the Middle East has further limited available airspace, with closures over Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Jordan. These restrictions have increased reliance on the narrow corridor through the Caucasus for flights connecting Europe and Asia.

The Iran War has disrupted one of the main aviation corridors, forcing airlines to reroute through the Caucasus or take longer southern paths via the Arabian Peninsula. The Ganja Gap now serves as the primary viable route for many carriers seeking to avoid both Iranian and Russian airspace.

Following the drone strike, Azerbaijan’s brief closure of its southern airspace left only a limited path for aircraft to transit, highlighting the fragility of current aviation routes in the region.

The closure of Nakhchivan International Airport and the surrounding airspace has underscored the strategic importance of the South Caucasus corridor for global air travel, especially as alternative routes remain inaccessible due to ongoing conflicts.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.