Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 10
By Azad Hasanli – Trend:
Silk Way West Airlines LLC transported 220,000 tons of cargo in January-August 2017, said President of Silk Way Holding Zaur Akhundov at the 7th Caspian Air Cargo Summit in Baku Oct. 10.
According to him, the company transported 170,000 tons of cargo in 2016.
“Nowadays, Silk Way West Airlines operates regular flights to 37 destinations using 12 Boeing 747 aircraft. From these destinations 11 were opened last year and first half of this year. Among the destinations are Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia,” said Akhundov.
There were high volumes of transportation in order to ensure successful holding of the First European Games, Islamic Solidarity Games, Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he noted.
“Currently, we see that the increasing air transportation of cargo includes pharmaceuticals, perishable goods, mail, e-commerce goods, high-tech equipment, and electronics,” added the company’s president.
Speaking about the passenger transportation, Akhundov said the Heydar Aliyev International Airport connects countries and continents, and it has become a hub not only for international cargo traffic, but also for passenger transportation.
“For instance, through Baku, Europe connects to China, as well as Israel and Georgia to America,” he added. “Direct flights to Bangkok and Jeddah will be opened soon.”
Silk Way Holding’s president also noted that Azerbaijan continues developing the sphere of cargo and passenger transportations.
“Currently a large number of flights transporting humanitarian and military cargo are requested by the Ministry of Defense of Germany, the US, Canada, Spain, Italy, Israel, and France. NATO and other international organizations are among our customers,” added Akhundov.
The 7th Caspian Air Cargo Summit started Oct. 9 and will last until Oct. 12. About 250 representatives of civil aviation, freight transportation and logistics are taking part in the event.