Azerbaijan Airlines Boarding Pass and Online Check-in

According to publicly available information from the airline, Azerbaijan Airlines online check-in generally opens the day before departure, around 24 hours before the scheduled flight time, and closes a few hours before takeoff. Plan to complete check-in well ahead of that deadline: once it closes, only the airport counter can still get you on the flight.

At the airport, AZAL counters usually open a few hours before departure and close strictly before takeoff, often 40 to 60 minutes for international flights. At Baku Heydar Aliyev (GYD), the airline's hub, as well as at the major European airports it serves, passport control queues can be long at peak times: arriving three hours before an international flight remains the safest margin.

Online check-in is done through the airline's official website, azal.az, using the booking reference (six-character code) or the 13-digit ticket number, along with the surname as it appears on the ticket. Azerbaijan Airlines also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, giving access to your booking and boarding pass.

Seat selection depends on the fare purchased: on the cheapest tickets, certain seats, particularly front rows or emergency exit rows, are generally chargeable. Emergency exit seats are only assigned to passengers who meet the safety criteria, which is checked at the counter.

Some passenger profiles cannot complete the process remotely and are directed to an agent: unaccompanied minors, passengers requiring assistance, travelers with an animal in the cabin, women in late pregnancy who need to present a medical certificate, or group bookings. This is not a refusal, only a check carried out in person with an agent.

Once check-in is confirmed, the boarding pass is sent by email as a PDF or made available in the app. It shows your name, the flight number AZ/J2, the scheduled gate, the boarding deadline and your assigned seat.

The mobile boarding pass is accepted at many airports, but not everywhere: some stopovers, particularly outside Europe, still require a paper document stamped at the counter. If you are unsure about your departure airport, go to a kiosk or an AZAL counter to have the document printed.

Your passport must be valid and match exactly the details entered during check-in. For Azerbaijan, most nationalities need a visa or e-visa (ASAN Visa): entry documents are checked before boarding, and an incomplete file can result in denied boarding.

Online check-in does not remove the need to drop off checked baggage. You still need to go to the AZAL bag drop counter, which closes at the same time as standard check-in, sometimes even a little earlier at certain airports. Checked baggage allowance and cabin bag dimensions vary by class and fare, so check your ticket conditions: an excess baggage fee paid at the airport costs noticeably more than one purchased in advance.

A few situations come up regularly:

• The name doesn't match the passport: a typo or a swapped first/last name needs to be corrected through customer service or your travel agency, not online.
• The flight is operated by a partner airline: check-in must then be done on the website of the carrier actually operating that segment.
• The booking can't be found: this is common when the ticket was bought through an agency and the number entered is the agency's file reference rather than the airline's own reference.
• Connecting flight: the boarding pass for the second segment isn't always issued online and may be given out at transit.

If you would rather not keep track of when check-in opens yourself, iBoardingPass can complete online check-in on your behalf as soon as the airline opens it, and send you the boarding pass by email.

Travelers connecting through the Caucasus and Central Asia often combine several carriers, whose check-in rules differ from AZAL's. See the Air Astana check-in rules.