Азербайджанська авіація у 1930-х роках

Abstract

This article examines the transformative decade of the 1930s in the history of Azerbaijani civil aviation, characterized by rapid modernization and systemic institutional shifts. Following the transition of the air fleet to full state ownership, the region experienced an unprecedented infrastructure boom, marked by the inauguration of major airports in Bina (1933), Yevlakh, and Sheki. The research highlights the technological advancement of the period, including the deployment of radio transmissio n centers and the introduction of high-speed aircraft like the K-5 and PS-40, which significantly reduced travel times on the strategic BakuMoscow route.The study provides a detailed analysis of the socio-economic impact of aviation, from its role in agricultural pest control to the emergence of the first generation of female pilots in Azerbaijan, including pioneers such as Sona Nuriyeva and Leyla Mammadbeyova. Furthermore, the article highlights significant operational milestones, such as navigating the formidable Main Caucasian Range and mastering complex high-altitude flights on the Baku-Yerevan-Nakhchivan route. This operational growth, which culminated in the establishment of the independent Azerbaijani Aviation Group in 1938, was achieved despite persistent logistical challenges and a severe lack of ground equipment at peripheral airfields. A significant part of the paper is dedicated to the darker aspects of the era—the Stalinist repressions and the "Great Terror" directed by Mir Jafar Baghirov. The author analyzes how these purges decimated the scientific and engineering elite, leading to a profound "cadre hunger" and the dismantling of established technical schools. The article concludes that while the 1930s integrated Azerbaijani aviation into a unified state transport system with record -breaking freight and passenger statistics, the institutional and human capital losses inflicted by the political regime created long-term obstacles for the industry's organic development.