Baku — Sept. 9
Azerbaijani economist Natig Jafarli has sharply criticized government plans to restrict airport taxi services, calling the move another blow to competition and a sign of entrenched monopolistic practices.
In a Facebook post, Jafarli recalled that Azerbaijan had been among the cheapest countries in Europe for taxi fares over the past decade. After the 2015 manat devaluations, prices fell further, making taxi service one of the few sectors where competition delivered tangible benefits for consumers.
“Of course, the government could not tolerate such a situation — competition and falling prices were unthinkable,” Jafarli wrote.
“Instead of addressing congestion, new regulations only raised fares and weakened competition.”
According to Jafarli, the decision to grant exclusive rights to certain operators for rides from Baku airport to the city reflects a pattern of crude monopolization.
“Some official or his well-connected offspring likely decided: why should taxis remain open and competitive? Better to monopolize airport rides, take a cut from each fare, and pocket thousands of manats a day,” he said.
He added that officials have tried to frame the move as a tourism measure but argued that it would merely raise prices without improving service or reducing traffic.
“This is how monopolies work in Azerbaijan,” Jafarli concluded. “Citizens lose affordable services, while officials gain effortless income.”
