LONDON – On April 28, Silk Way West Airlines, an Azerbaijanian cargo airline subsidiary of Silk Way Group announced that they have put an order for five Boeing 777 freighter aircrafts with Boeing, as a fleet expansion plan for Silk Way Group.
With this new order, Silk Way airline’s cargo arm will be equipped with a long-range, high-capacity twin-engine fleet, one of a kind the Caspian and Central Asia region.
Formed in 2012, Silk Way airline has been extensively focusing on the rapid cargo and freighter operations of the carrier. Since its inception and expansion, Silk Way West has been crowned as one of the largest cargo carriers in the Caspian region with annual cargo handling of more than 300,000 tonnes.
With over 350 scheduled flights each month to more 40 destinations across the globe, Silk Way West has been trying to capture substantial cargo operation share within the region.
Speaking on this remarkable deal between Silk Way and Boeing, Zaur Akhundov, President for Silk Way Group said that “this deal is an incremental part of our fleet renewal and our commitment to meet our customers’ expectations.”
“I am confident that the acquisition of new freighters will further strengthen our leading position on the global air freight market for the next 15 to 20 years.”
Fleet Choices and expansion strategy
Since its formation in 2012, Silk Way West has focused on the extensive cargo operation within the region and medium-haul services with secondary target markets in transatlantic and Asian region.
Operating with five Boeing 747-400F and Boeing 747-8F cargo planes, the carrier has achieved remarkable market share and been placed on the top chart for the cargo movement.
Silk Way in the past has also carried out their operations onboard Boeing 767-300ERF, which has helped the carrier to execute routes in transatlantic and southern American region.
But post-retiring 2 of the 767-300ERF’s, Silk Way needed to equip its fleet with same or higher capacity aircraft to keep the momentum in pace.
With the new order for five 777F, the carrier will be equipped to outperform its ambition in the freighter division, as the new 777F offers range of over 5,717 miles (9,200 KM) and will be able to carry over 102 tonnes of cargo, thus offering more RPK for the airline.
As the new 777F offers 3.72 meters wide cargo door on main deck to carry high value and oversize cargo load like luxury cars and equipment’s, the Silk Way can offer outsized carriage offerings to its customers within the region.
Silk Way West asserts that the new 777F will help meet the increased cargo demand will provide operational flexibility as compared to that existing Being 747 fleets.
Speaking on this occasion, Stan Deal, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes said that “We are honoured to partner with them and look forward to introducing the market-leading efficiency and capability of the 777 Freighter to its fleet of 747 Freighters.”
Silk Way West has a long-standing relationship with the Formula One motorsports events and has been embedded as a leading logistics partner for the event between 2016 and 2018.
The carrier has once again started bringing their partnership with the Formula One in revival mode and is aiming to offer extended logistical and transit support for Formula One worldwide.
