The role of Boeing 747 (Jumbo Jets) at Budapest Airport continues to increase. Silk Way West Airlines of Azerbaijan now permanently uses Jumbos for its two Budapest flights every week. Since its arrival last March, Silk Way West has doubled its monthly operation between the Hungarian and Azerbaijani capitals, thereby contributing significantly to strengthening economic relations between Hungary and the Caspian republic as well as the Far East.
Boeing 747-400F aircraft have been commissioned by Silk Way West Airlines on their Budapest route. The Azerbaijani cargo carrier launched its first flight between Budapest and Baku last March, with two flights per week. The airline offers its services in both directions, supporting both export and import between Budapest and the Caucasian Region, and via Baku, also the Far East, China, and from October 2014, South Korea.
Silk Way West quickly got a foothold in the Hungarian market: by the second half of the year they doubled their monthly turnover, and so their larger Boeing 747s already landed in Budapest occasionally towards the end of 2014. The dynamic growth of the volume of air cargo carried by them has made it necessary by now to use only Jumbo Jets for the Baku-Budapest flight. The maximum cargo capacity of Boeing 767-300F aircraft operated earlier was 53 tons, while the 747s can carry 113 tons in both directions.
The performance of Silk Way West in the Hungarian market was recently acknowledged by Budapest Airport at its traditional annual gala event where the Azerbaijani company received the title of “Best-performing New Cargo Airline”, reflecting their results last year. József Kossuth, cargo manager of Budapest Airport said: “All of our expectations have been confirmed regarding Silk Way West, as they quickly became quite popular in the Central European region. Their two flights per week offer a great opportunity for Hungarian trade as it ensures a modern and fast connection between Hungary, Azerbaijan and markets in the Far East.”
Nidjat Babayev, vice-president of Global Sales, Europe and Asia, said: “We are happy with our Budapest operation and will continuously focus on further improvements and expansion both on import and export side as well.”
Silk Way West Airlines is part of the Azerbaijani Silk Way group of 23 different companies. In addition to air cargo operations, the group portfolio includes ground handling operations with state-of-the-art facilities, business aviation and a major airport hotel in Baku. Silk Way West Airlines as a member of the group operates its own fleet consisting of three 747-400F and two brand-new 747-800F aircraft, with another three being delivered by the end of 2016.
