Aluminum nitride based materials were synthesized by combustion of aluminum powder in air. When aluminum nitride powder is used as a diluent, mostly aluminum nitride product with small amount of alumina was obtained. For reactant mixtures consisting of 33 wt% of aluminum and 67 w% of alumina, materials with a high content of aluminum oxynitride (AION) were formed. Synthesized aluminum nitride based powders with and without in-situ added sintering aids were characterized and tested for their sintering ability. Densification characteristics of combustion synthesized powders by pressureless sintering in nitrogen atmosphere are also reported.