UK aircraft conducts flights over Armenia, Azerbaijan
A UK private aircraft conducted multiple technical flights over Armenia and Azerbaijan in late March, including over Yerevan, Syunik, and Nagorno-Karabakh, Sputnik Armenia reported.
According to Flightradar24, the aircraft, operated by the Bournemouth-based company Flight Precision, was spotted circling above Yerevan and Sisian before continuing to Tbilisi, Ganja, and then performing extended flight patterns over Nagorno-Karabakh.
The company’s official website states it operates the Beechcraft King Air 350i aircraft equipped with an Aerodata (AD-AFIS) automated flight inspection system. Flight Precision specializes in flight safety inspections across various global regions, including civil and military sectors in Europe, Africa, the CIS, and the Middle and Far East.
Sputnik Armenia reached out to the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia for clarification regarding the flights in the Sisian area. The committee confirmed that in March, at the request of HayAeronavigation CJSC, Flight Precision Ltd conducted test flights with a Beechcraft Corporation B300 aircraft to evaluate the newly installed VOR/DME radio navigation system at Sisian Airport.
HayAeronavigation CJSC is also listed among Flight Precision’s clients on the company’s website.
Sisian Airport is currently designated as a military facility, although plans are underway for its future use in civil aviation as well.
According to the same source, the UK aircraft also performed technical flights over territory in Nagorno-Karabakh currently occupied by Azerbaijan, including near the under-construction “Lachin” Airport. Unconfirmed reports suggest this aircraft might have been the first to land and take off at that facility.
In early April, following its operations in Azerbaijan, the aircraft returned to Armenia via Tbilisi and continued flights around the airports of Sisian and Kapan before heading back to Europe.
