Baku, September 26, 2025
Azerbaijan’s Ombudsman has sharply criticized the new taxi tariffs at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, warning that the system is discriminatory, unconstitutional, and damaging to fair competition.
Following a monitoring mission, the Ombudsman’s Office concluded that the airport’s special pricing scheme artificially inflates fares, limits passenger choice, sidelines licensed drivers, and fuels public discontent. The findings state that the policy violates Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law, and Article 59, which protects free enterprise, as well as key provisions of the country’s competition legislation.
Passengers say the new prices leave them with no genuine alternatives. “A ride into the city used to cost me 15–20 manat. Now it’s nearly double. At this point, it feels like we’re being forced to pay whatever they decide,” one traveler said. Another added: “There’s no real choice. Either you pay the airport tariff or you walk outside with your luggage hoping to find another car.”
Drivers have voiced similar frustration. “We lose clients because many passengers can’t afford these inflated fares. Some prefer to leave the terminal and call a regular taxi app,” said one taxi driver. Another stressed that the system is designed to exclude competition: “The system favors a single operator. Independent drivers like us get pushed out – even if we’re licensed.”
Legal experts argue that the policy cannot stand up to constitutional scrutiny. Lawyer Ellada Bayramova told Globalinfo.az that a system which creates privileges for certain operators while excluding others amounts to a violation of equality and free enterprise.
She emphasized that any tariff regime that distorts the market, restricts competition, and sidelines licensed drivers “cannot be legally sustainable in the long term.”
The Ombudsman has pledged to submit a formal appeal to state bodies, including the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Economy, and antimonopoly agencies, urging a transparent pricing mechanism and equal access for all licensed taxi providers.
