Silk Way West Airlines is an

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

cargo airline Cargo airlines (or air freight carriers, and derivatives of these names) are airlines mainly dedicated to the transport of air cargo, cargo by air. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines. In 2018, airli ...

with its head office and main operating base at

Heydar Aliyev International Airport Heydar Aliyev International Airport (; IATA: GYD, ICAO: UBBB) is one of the seven international airports serving Azerbaijan. It is the busiest airport both in Azerbaijan and in the South Caucasus as well as one of the busiest in the post-Sovie ...

Baku, Azerbaijan Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

. It is a subsidiary of the Silk Way Group along with sister airline, Silk Way Airlines. Silk Way West Airlines won the ‘Cargo Airline of the Year’ award from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

’s

Incheon International Airport Incheon International Airport is the main international airport serving Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It is also one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. This airport opened for business on 29 March 2001, to replace the old ...

in 2020.

History

Founded in 2012 in Baku, Silk Way West Airlines is the largest cargo airline in the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

region. The carrier is a part of Silk Way Group, which also includes Silk Way Airlines, and Silk Way Technics. Based at

, the airline operates around 350 monthly flights across the globe via its fleet of 12 dedicated Boeing 747-8F and 747-400F aircraft. The airline's annual cargo turnover exceeds 420,000 tons, while its growing route network covers over 40 destinations across Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Asia, and North and South America.

Events and developments

On April 28, 2021, Silk Way West Airlines signed a strategic fleet expansion agreement with

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

for five Boeing 777 Freighters. Two more

Boeing 747-400F The Boeing 747-400 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, an advanced variant of the initial Boeing 747. The ''Advanced Series 300'' was announced at the September 1984 Farnborough Airshow, target ...

were received in March 2022. On 28 June 2022, Silkway West also signed an agreement with

Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...

for 2 Airbus A350F aircraft, with an expected entry into service in 2027. The aircraft will be registered in

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

. In December 2022, Silk Way West Airlines and Nippon Express Holdings signed an Air Cargo Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance their air freight solutions and adapt to evolving supply chain demands. This agreement aims to strengthen Silk Way West Airlines' presence in the Japanese market and assist Nippon Express Holdings in expanding its global operations by providing cargo capacity across an extensive network. Since 2018, Silk Way West Airlines has been serving the Japanese air cargo market with weekly flights connecting Baku to

Kansai International Airport Kansai International Airport (), commonly known as Kankū (; ), is the primary international airport in the Keihanshin, Greater Osaka Area of Japan and the closest international airport to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is located on ...

. Additionally, the airline has been offering regular flights to

Narita International Airport , also known as Tokyo-Narita International Airport or simply Narita Airport, formerly and originally known as , is the secondary international airport serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the only other one being Haneda Airport (HND). It is about e ...

, a major air cargo gateway in Japan, since 2021. The new MoU is expected to enhance Silk Way West Airlines' role in the region's freight network, improving air cargo transportation services for both Japanese and international partners. Silk Way West Airlines hosted Caspian Air Cargo Summit 2023 in JW Marriott Absheron Hotel, Baku, Azerbaijan during October. It hosted around 400 delegates from over 40 nations, including government ministers, industry managers, and logisticians. It focused on current trends, issues, and future opportunities of airfreight companies. Key representatives from leading companies in the global air cargo industry such as

Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace corporation. It develops and manufactures aircraft and aviation systems, and provides leasing, equipment, and technical support services. Embraer is the third largest producer of civil air ...

, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA),

Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları''), or legally Türk Hava Yolları Anonim Ortaklığı, is the flag carrier of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 352 destinations (including cargo) in Europe, Asia, Oce ...

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

GE Aerospace General Electric Company, doing business as GE Aerospace, is an American aircraft engine supplier that is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, outside Cincinnati. It is the legal successor to the original General Electric Company founded in 1892, w ...

, ACL Airshop,

Alibaba Group Alibaba Group Holding Limited, branded as Alibaba (), is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational technology company specializing in E-commerce in China, e-commerce, retail, Internet, and technology. Founded on 28 June 1999 in Hangzho ...

, Kales Group, Dnata, Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) and others shared valuable information and insights regarding the future cargo aircraft and next-generation engine, and discussed issues on sustainability and innovation in

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

and supply chains, with a special focus on the growing role of

e-commerce E-commerce (electronic commerce) refers to commercial activities including the electronic buying or selling products and services which are conducted on online platforms or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile co ...

in logistics and air cargo. Silk Way West Airlines and China Henan Aviation Group (CHAGC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

in June 2024 during the Air Cargo China event to enhance air cargo connectivity between

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan, China. Located in northern Henan, it is one of the nine National central city, national central cities in China, and serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational center of the province. Th ...

and Baku. The innovative partnership is suggested to establish a dual-hub model connecting the Asia-Pacific region to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. Jenny Zhao, Vice President APAC at Silk Way West Airlines, further stated that the partnership would bring additional capacity and cargo volume in Zhengzhou with quality ground support and additional collaboration under the

Belt and Road Initiative The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI or B&R), known in China as the One Belt One Road and sometimes referred to as the New Silk Road, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the government of China in 2013 to invest in more t ...

. Silk Way West Airlines, in August 2024, announced a corporate social responsibility initiative for the educational infrastructure development of the nation. The airline is sponsoring the construction and renovation of six Azerbaijani schools and benefiting over 4,500 students in terms of education. President of Silk Way Group Zaur Akhundov emphasized the company's dedication to the community, highlighting that the implementation of such projects shows their commitment to social responsibility and the life-saving nature of education. Minister of Science and Education of Azerbaijan Emin Amrullayev talked about the importance of public-private partnership in the development of the country's educational infrastructure. He further stated that collaboration with Silk Way West Airlines not only strengthens physical infrastructure but also offers an environment conducive to student success.

Destinations

Silk Way West Airlines operates cargo flights to 45 destinations in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. In October 2018, the company announced it would launch a twice-weekly freighter service from its hub in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. In August 2023 direct flights from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

were announced.

Fleet

As of October 2023, Silk Way West Airlines operates the following aircraft: The additional fleet of

Ilyushin Il-76 The Ilyushin Il-76 (; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau as a commercial freighter in 1967, to replace the Antonov An-1 ...

cargo aircraft is operated by sister company Silk Way Airlines.

References

External links

Official Website
{{Airlines of Azerbaijan Airlines of Azerbaijan Airlines established in 2012 Cargo airlines 2012 establishments in Azerbaijan