Baku

Exploring cheap flights to Baku is a great idea if you want to delve into the saline beauty of the Caspian Sea. Its pristine power engulfs you as you overlook it from this central Asian city. Through more than 15 centuries of its existence, Baku has been coveted by Persian Shahs, Ottoman Sultans, Russian Czars and Soviet rulers.

Cheap flights to Baku can be a real treat because even though this city is soaked in history, it is an amazingly modern city today. The oil boom that the 1980's heralded has brought in many bonanzas, and the Heyder Aliyev International Airport is one of them. The best reason to book cheap flights to Baku is that it is the busiest airport in all of the Caucasus.

On a visit to this airport, you are likely to come across the most distinguished names in the airline industry. On the New York to Baku route alone, prominent airlines such as Aeroflot, Azerbaijan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Delta Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Bmi, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Air France, Alitalia, American Airlines, United Airlines and SAS Scandinavian Airlines operate. Given the nearly 6000 miles that separate the two cities, cheap flights to Baku can be best had when reserved months in advance. On an average, flights between any of New York's or New Jersey's important airports, such as JFK, La Guardia and Newark Liberty International Airport, can cost anywhere between $2500 and $3500 including taxes and depending on whether you board direct or connecting flights, the journey time can range from 15 to 24 hours.

If you are planning to fly from London to Baku, there is good connectivity from its major airports, such as Heathrow and Stansted and Turkish Airlines, Bmi and Aeroflot are the major airlines operating on this route. Cheap flights to Baku from here can be had from the basic fare of $300 .

Baku's main international airport, Heyder Aliyev International Airport, was totally refurbished and commenced its operations on March 10, 2004. It is named for the country's former President, Heyder Aliyev, who was almost totally responsible for bringing this airport to its present standard. The renovation of the old airport was so comprehensive that it was carried out in two phases and lasted a year and a half. It is considered one of Central Asia's best equipped airports and many international and domestic airlines operate from here making cheap flights to Baku worth the effort.

Baku, a modern and well-provided city, belies its antique past that has a recorded history of at least 15 centuries. Oil has been central to its existence and Baku has the distinction of being the city in which the world's first oil well was discovered. After a checkered past that placed it at the crossroads of many an empire, Baku was desired even by Adolf Hitler for its oil and after World War II it became the venue for the world's first offshore oil platform. Following the demise of the Soviet Union in the early 90's, with greater access and control of this extremely rich resource, Baku became a major trading center and is today the biggest port in the Caucasus.