BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 15
Trend:
Silk Way West Airlines, the largest airline in the Caspian region, signed a strategic agreement with Rolls-Royce at the Dubai Airshow 2021.
The agreement will provide replacement engines for five of Silk Way West Airlines’ RB211-524 powered Boeing 747-400F aircraft, ensuring the airline’s operational sustainability until 2026 and forming part of the carrier’s fleet renewal program. According to the agreement, Silk Way West Airlines will be provided with a minimum of 20,000 flight cycles of engine life for the next five years.
Silk Way West Airlines has worked in partnership with Rolls-Royce to support the maintenance of its Boeing 747-400F fleet since 2017. The initial agreement signed by the parties has ensured smooth running of the freight carrier’s engines through a range of services.
During the signing ceremony, Mr. Zaur Akhundov, President of Silk Way Group, gave a speech noting the importance of the relationship with Rolls-Royce: “It is with great honour that we successfully continue our long-lasting cooperation with Rolls-Royce. As part of a close relationship with one of our global partners, we consider the signing of this agreement to herald a new phase in the history of our bilateral relations. Thanks to this, Silk Way West Airlines will be able to successfully realize its business strategy regarding the planned fleet renewal.”
Mr. Chris Cholerton, President Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, said: “We are delighted to have signed this agreement with Silk Way West Airlines today. Utilising existing engines to provide them with a cost-effective way of maintaining their fleet is an efficient and logical solution to supporting their operations until 2026. We look forward to continuing to work with them and building on our relationship as they grow in the future.”
Rolls-Royce plc has customers in more than 150 countries comprising over 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces and navies, and 5,000 power and nuclear customers. Annual underlying revenue of Rolls-Royce was GBP 11.76 billion in 2020 and the company invested GBP 1.25 billion on research and development. Rolls-Royce also supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centres which position its engineers at the forefront of scientific research. Rolls-Royce pioneers the power that matters to connect, power and protect society. The company pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations by 2030 excluding product testing and joined the UN Race to Zero campaign in 2020 affirming its ambition to play a fundamental role in enabling the sectors in which Rolls-Royce operates to achieve net zero carbon by 2050.
Founded in 2012 in Baku, at the heart of the Silk Road, Silk Way West Airlines operates around 350 monthly flights across the globe via its fleet of 12 dedicated Boeing 747-8F and 747-400F aircraft. On April 28, 2021, Silk Way West Airlines, Based at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, signed a strategic fleet expansion agreement with Boeing for five state-of-the-art 777 Freighters. 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. South Korea’s Incheon Airport honoured Silk Way West Airlines with the prestigious ‘Cargo Airline of the Year 2020’ award.
Silk Way Group, founded in July 2006, is a dynamically developing group of companies that occupies a leading position in the Azerbaijani economy. The group was re-organized into three companies in 2019 – Silk Way Airlines, Silk Way West Airlines and Silk Way Technics, providing air cargo transportation and aircraft maintenance services.
CONTACT PERSONS:
Dr Jeyhun Alakbarov
Head of Public Relations
Silk Way West Airlines
Tel: +994 (0)77 2010440
Email: [email protected]
Daisy Omissi
Head of External Communications
Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace
Tel: +44 (0)7500 990583
Email: [email protected]