If Armenia closes airspace, Azerbaijan will use alternative routes, deputy director of Azerbaijan State Civil Aviation Administration Hajiaga Aliyev stated.

Aliyev said that as alternative routes Azerbaijan will be able to use Georgia’s airspace in the flights to Turkey and Iran’s airspace in the flights to Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, APA reported.

On May 9, Armenia will launch flights to the new Stepanakert airport.

Director of Azerbaijani State Civil Aviation Administration Arif Mammadov threatened that Azerbaijan will “take adequate measures up to destruction of planes bound for Stepanakert airport.”

As the head of the central information department at the office of the Artsakh President, David Babayan said, “Artsakh authorities are determined to open the airport, no matter whom it vexes in Azerbaijan. Any slight attempt Azerbaijan might take will be fraught with unpredictable repercussions for Azerbaijan itself.”

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza urged not to use force against civil planes.