Two Airplane Deal Expands Cargo Carrier’s Fleet and Capability 

Azerbaijani Silk Way West Airlines has signed a purchase agreement for two Airbus A350F freighters. The order is a Caspian Region first for the aircraft type and seeks to modernize and further grow the existing Silk Way fleet with efficient and sustainable cargo aircraft. 

Based on Airbus’s long-range A350 airliner, the A350F serves cargo-markets with a 109-metric-ton payload capacity. The aircraft features a large, main-deck cargo-door and a fuselage length optimized for cargo operations. Extensive use of composite materials throughout the A350F’s airframe results in a weight savings of thirty-metric-tons, and its efficient Rolls-Royce engines afford twenty-percent lower fuel-burn and CO2 emissions than the model’s current closest competitor.

Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International Christian Scherer states: “I welcome Silk Way West Airlines as a new Airbus customer. The A350F is a game changer in efficiency and sustainability for the cargo operations of the future.  We look forward to demonstrating how positively the economics and environmental signature of the A350s will stand out versus older generation aircraft.”

Silk Way is a private cargo airline based in the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku. The carrier was founded and commenced operations in 2001. The airline serves Europe, Asia, Africa, and the United States Federal Government—for which it transports heavy weapons, ammunition, and white phosphorus in support of U.S. military operations.

Silk Way’s current fleet comprises five Boeing 747-400F freighters, another five Boeing 747-8F freighters, and seven Ilyushin-IL-76TD aircraft. 

FMI: www.airbus.com/en