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Silk Way West Airlines to add 9 large freighters this decade

Azerbaijan cargo airline takes delivery of 1st Boeing 777

Eric Kulisch
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A 777 freighter built by Boeing for Silk Way West Airlines arrived Tuesday from Seattle at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo: Silk Way West Airlines)

Silk Way West Airlines on Tuesday received its first factory-built 777 freighter from Boeing at its base in Baku, Azerbaijan, marking the 11-year-old company’s next expansion phase.

Silk Way West’s fleet consists of seven Boeing 747-400 and five modern 747-8 freighters. The airline has four more 777s and two next-generation 777-8 freighters on order from Boeing that will be delivered over the next seven years. Another 777 is scheduled for delivery next month. The airline also placed an order last year with Airbus for two all-new Airbus A350 freighters, which won’t be ready until 2027 and 2028.

Silk Way West said the 777 offers extended range that will allow it to add new destinations with more direct connections through its hub at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku. 

“This expansion of the fleet will open up opportunities for Silk Way West Airlines to boost the volume of flights and extend our reach to additional strategic destinations, reflecting the growing importance of our home base of Baku as a regional and global transportation hub,” said Fadi Nahas, vice president of the Americas, in a statement.


The 777 freighter has a range of 5,700 miles and a maximum designed payload of 236,000 pounds, which allows the plane to make fewer stops and save on landing fees on long-haul routes. 

Silk Way West operates approximately 350 monthly scheduled flights to 40 destinations around the world. 

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Twitter: @ericreports / LinkedIn: Eric Kulisch / ekulisch@freightwaves.com


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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won Environmental Journalist of the Year from the Seahorse Freight Association in 2014 and was the group's 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist by the Seahorse Freight Association. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com