Azerbaijan's Silk Way West opens Amsterdam base

Capital of Azerbaijan’s Silk Way West raised to $105.5mn

Azerbaijan's Silk Way benefited from US, Afghanistan war

The Pentagon steered USD369 million in defence contracts to Azerbaijan's Silk Way Airlines (ZP, Baku) in exchange for US and NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization access to critical supply routes during the height of America's war in Afghanistan, according to an exposé by The Washington Post.

Two United States Air Force generals - Duncan McNabb and William Fraser III - who oversaw the supply routes from 2008 to 2014, on retirement, negotiated lucrative consulting deals (one of them USD5,000 a day) with the cargo carrier, according to official files obtained by the newspaper after a four-year-long battle and legal action to gain access to them under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

More than 400 pages of documents reveal that US Air Force intelligence objected to the Azerbaijan business deals for reasons that remain classified. US Air Force Review Boards Agency director Philip Deavel raised ethical concerns over the US military giving extensive business to Silk Way Airlines while McNabb and Fraser managed the supply routes through Azerbaijan. In a 2015 confidential...

Azerbaijan's Silk Way West orders 2+2 B777-8(F)s

Silk Way West Airlines (7L, Baku) has placed an order with Boeing (BOE, Washington National) for two B777-8(F) freighters with options for two more.

"Today's agreement reflects our ongoing investment in Boeing's market-leading freighters. Our fleet renewal plans will help to further reduce our operating costs and enhance fuel efficiency, as well as make air freight services in our region more sustainable," Silk Way Group President Zaur Akhandov said.

The airline said the two firm-ordered B777-8(F)s would deliver in 2029 and 2030 but it did not specify whether they would be for growth or replacement. Silk Way West currently operates seven B747-400FSCDs and five B747-8Fs, and has a firm order for five new B777-200Fs due for delivery between 2023 and 2027. In June, the airline announced an order for two A350-1000(F)s with a further two options and deliveries planned for 2027-2028. At that time, the Azeri carrier said it was "surely not its last" contract with Airbus.

Israel to ban quadjet aircraft from Tel Aviv from late 1Q23

The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) has announced that as of March 31, 2023, it will no longer allow quadjet aircraft to conduct scheduled operations at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion.

The decision is motivated by environmental and noise concerns and pertains to both passenger and cargo aircraft. The ban will be in place for 24 hours every day of the week. The IAA explained that it decided to give the airlines more than six months of notice to prepare them for the change.

Once a sizeable operator of various B747 aircraft, El Al Israel Airlines retired its last B747-400, which was also its only quadjet type, in 2019. Challenge Airlines IL continues to operate one B747-400ERF, and one B747-400FSCD but is planning to move the two aircraft to sister carrier Challenge Airlines BE. There are no other Israeli operators of four-engined aircraft in Israel. However, foreign carriers AirACT (9T, Istanbul Atatürk) and Silk Way West Airlines (7L, Baku) will be affected by the change as both...