Cargo airline Silk Way West Airlines has opened its first scheduled service to Saudi Arabia.
Silk Way West Airlines, the Azerbaijan-based widebody cargo airline, has opened two new routes, including its first scheduled service to Saudi Arabia. The airline has commenced Boeing 747 freighter flights to Dammam (DMM), Saudi Arabia, and Tashkent (TAS), Uzbekistan. The routes will each be operated 2X-weekly from its home base Raku (RKT).
The airline has flown to both cities on an occasional, ad-hoc basis, but has not previously operated regular service on the routes. Silk Way West operates a fleet of 12 747 freighters, both -400Fs and -8Fs. It has orders on the books for seven 777Fs and two A350Fs. The carrier’s network comprises more than 40 airports around the world. Silk Way West says in a statement that DMM and TAS are “among the most important international air cargo gateways in their respective regions.”
The carrier adds the new routes “will enhance its role in the Middle Eastern and Asian continental freight network and improve the quality of air cargo transportation services for both local and international partners.” The airline indicated more new routes are on the horizon, saying it plans to “significantly” expand its network.
“The demand for transportation to the Middle East and on the Middle Corridor route continues to rise,” Silk Way West Airlines VP for CIS and Central Asia Vugar Mammadov says. “As a result, Azerbaijan is gaining increasing importance as a central logistics hub... We will continue to increase the number of flights we operate, as well as the destinations we serve, as Silk Way West Airlines continues to expand opportunities for its customers around the world."