St. Petersburg / Baku — 20 October 2025 – Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) flight J2-020, operating from St. Petersburg to Baku with 155 passengers on board, made an emergency return to Pulkovo Airport early Monday after the crew reported a technical fault in the aircraft’s landing-gear system.
The aircraft, an 18-year-old Airbus A320-214 (registration 4K-AZ84), had departed Pulkovo Airport (LED) bound for Baku’s Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) when the cockpit crew detected the issue shortly after take-off. As a precaution, the captain declared an emergency and returned to St. Petersburg, performing holding patterns to burn fuel before landing.
After circling over St. Petersburg’s airspace for nearly three hours to burn off excess fuel, the aircraft touched down at approximately 03:40 , with emergency services on full standby.
The aircraft experienced a slight runway excursion after landing. Photos from the airport show it resting on grass, surrounded by emergency vehicles, with no visible damage.
All passengers and crew members were safely evacuated using emergency slides, and no injuries were reported.
“For the utmost flight safety, the captain decided to return and land at Pulkovo Airport due to a technical issue related to the landing gear,” the airline said in a statement.
Airport operations were temporarily suspended during the emergency response but resumed shortly afterward. A replacement aircraft was dispatched to transport passengers to Baku later the same day.
In a statement, the airline further stated that:
“In September 2025, the aircraft successfully passed a scheduled ‘A-check.’ All maintenance procedures were performed according to manufacturer requirements and the airline’s internal standards. Our experienced pilots fully complied with both AZAL’s safety regulations and international aviation requirements”
AZAL confirmed that the affected A320 will remain grounded pending a detailed technical inspection, and the airline is cooperating with Russian and Azerbaijani aviation authorities investigating the incident.
Cover Image: via @caliber.az on X (formerly Twitter) / caliber.az
Read: Emirates Cargo Plane Veers Off Runway in Hong Kong; Two Ground Staff Dead
💬 Join the conversation: We’d love to hear your take on X (Twitter) or LinkedIn.
