Transit freight via Azerbaijan jumps 11.6% in Jan–Jul to hit 5-year high

Transit cargo transportation through Azerbaijan exceeded 9.1 million metric tons in the first seven months of 2026, marking an 11.6% year-on-year surge and reaching a five-year high.

According to the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, cargo volumes along the East-West international corridor (incorporating the Middle Corridor) increased by 16.5%, while North-South corridor traffic grew by 14.3%. Transit delivery times from China to Europe via the Middle Corridor have dropped from 38–53 days to 12 days, supported by infrastructure upgrades and e-TIR/e-CMR digitalization.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway capacity has reached 5 million tons annually. Meanwhile, the Baku International Sea Trade Port in Alat saw a 20% rise in container handling (to 72,370 TEU) and an 82% jump in dry cargo (to 1.4 million tons). Future expansion aims to scale the port's total capacity from 15 to 25 million tons and container capacity to 500,000 TEU, alongside plans to construct a cargo airport in Alat for multimodal integration.

N.Tebrizli