15.10.2026 14:39
It has come to light that Israeli President Isaac Herzog traveled to Baku on a scheduled passenger aircraft belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines, transiting through Turkish airspace, due to Turkey's airspace ban on Israeli aircraft.
It has been revealed that Israeli President Isaac Herzog used Turkish airspace during his visit to Azerbaijan. It was determined that Herzog, who set out to attend an international conference in Baku, preferred a scheduled passenger plane belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) in order to circumvent Turkey's flight ban on Israeli-registered aircraft.
FLIGHT RECORDS AND "SHUSHA" AIRCRAFT DETAIL
According to open-source flight tracking data, Herzog traveled on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner named "Shusha", flight number J222, belonging to AZAL, which took off from Tel Aviv. The landing times of the aircraft, which reached Baku by transiting Turkish airspace, were also confirmed by official announcements made by Herzog's press team and welcoming footage.
STATEMENT FROM ANKARA: AZERBAIJAN DID NOT PROVIDE INFORMATION
Following the developments, the first assessment came from Ankara circles, where attention turned. A Turkish official, commenting on the issue, said that the Azerbaijani side did not provide Turkey with any prior information that the Israeli President was on the flight in question. Stating that Turkey resolutely continues its airspace ban on Israeli-registered aircraft, the official used the expressions, "Naturally, Turkey cannot obtain the passenger list of every scheduled passenger plane passing through its airspace."
HERZOG'S OFFICE REMAINS SILENT
The Israeli Presidency Spokesperson's Office, however, only responded to questions regarding the use of Turkish airspace and the travel route with, "We cannot comment at this stage." In 2024, Herzog had to cancel his Azerbaijan trip because transit permission through Turkish airspace was not granted, and on his visit to Kazakhstan in April, he used an 8-hour alternative route passing over Europe and Russia.