Popular Airport | Modibo Keita Intl. - Bamako Senou Intl. Airport |
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Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 8 hour |
Approximate Travel Distance | 6395 Km |
Located along the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan’s capital Baku is a rising star in the East gaining notoriety for its oil, gas, and caviar. Baku is a city that attracts the attention people migrating from Asia and other countries in the region, and businessmen from all around the world. The city’s only airport is the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, named after the National Leader and third President of Azerbaijan. The airport serves 5 million passengers annually.
You can get to the airport, which is located 25 km away, from the city center by car or a combination of the metro and airport buses.
The easiest and cheapest way to get to the airport from the city center is by airport bus. Bus line 116 departs from Vurgun Park, located in central Baku, and takes about 50 minutes to get to the airport.
The metro system in Baku provides transportation to many central locations in the city like the Old City, 28 May Street, and the Caspian Sea. However, to get to the airport from the city center you have to first take the metro and then get on a bus. From central locations in the city like the Old City, Cafer Cabbari, and Khatai you can take the metro to the 28 May and Koroglu stations. From here you can get on bus line 116, which runs to the airport or take a taxi to the airport.
Since the city is rich in oil, fuel is cheap, making traveling by car a very attractive option. Getting to the city center from the airport is very easy. One of the city’s most important avenues, Heydar Aliyev Avenue will connect you to the Boyuk Shor Highway, which goes to the airport. From the highway take the Airport exit. The airport contains indoor and outdoor parking lots where you can park your personal car for a certain fee.
Although it is not very large Heydar Aliyev International Airport is an important junction, especially for passengers traveling between Europe and Asia. The airport offers passengers a variety of eating, drinking, and shopping venues.
The airport has 2 terminals, Terminal 1, which was completely renovated, and Terminal 2, which serves domestic flights. The airport contains world famous fast food chains like Burger King, McDonald’s, and KFC, as well as restaurants that offer delicious flavors unique to Azerbaijani cuisine.
The international terminal has a large Duty Free shop as well as souvenir shops where you can buy items unique to Russian and Azeri culture. The airport features free wireless internet connection.
The airport is located about 15 kilometers from the city center in Bamako, which is the capital and largest city of Mali, and it takes about 30 minutes to reach the city center. Taxi is the most preferred means of transportation from Bamako Airport to the city center. The offices of international car rental companies at the airport also offer car rental service as a different alternative to taxi option.
You can easily get a taxi almost all day in front of Bamako Airport, regardless of whenever your plane lands at the airport. The cost of the airport taxis in Bamako is about 7000 CFA for the journey to the city center. You must pay taxi fare in cash and taxis in Bamako don't generally offer credit card option. If you don't have West African franc -the valid currency in Mali- with you, you can also pay in Euro or Dollars.
One of the less frequently preferred options to reach the city center from the airport in Bamako is the car rental option. You won't have any difficulty finding the car rental office at the airport and then you can reach many points in Bamako city center in half an hour by renting a car. From the airport exit, you can find your way without having any difficulty by following the "city center" signs.
Before your flight, you can make a reservation for one of the private shuttle services offered for tourists in Bamako and travel to the city center by shuttle. If you are going to stay in one of the bigger hotels in the city, you can also get information about the private shuttle services from your hotel.
If your hotel provides a shuttle service from the airport to the city center, you can get on these shuttles in front of Bamako Airport terminal and reach many points in Bamako in a very short time. Hotels shuttles are generally offered for hotel guests free of charge; however, it would be useful to get information about the shuttle service, which may be available for a fee from time to time, and then choose a suitable option for transportation to the city center.