Silk Way West joins the UN’s Global Compact Initiative

Baku, Azerbaijan-headquartered Silk Way West Airlines, has joined the United Nations Global Compact initiative.

The move underscores its commitment to sustainable and ethical business conduct, the cargo carrier said.

As part of its commitment to the Compact, Silk Way West Airlines pledges to integrate the principles of sustainable development into its core operations, aspiring to contribute meaningfully to the UN’s sustainability goals as part of its broader 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

By joining the UN Global Compact, Silk Way West Airlines taps into an expansive reservoir of knowledge, experience, and networks that span the globe, it believes.

This affiliation, it considers, heralds “a transformative journey for the airline, promising to elevate its brand recognition and influence on a global scale”.

Membership of the Compact also opens up a realm of “strategic opportunities”, enabling Silk Way West Airlines to foster potential collaborations with a diverse array of industry players.

Such partnerships are aimed at driving collective action towards common sustainability objectives.

Indeed, a statement from the carrier said, through the Global Compact, the airline will “gain unparalleled access to a suite of corporate sustainability tools and resources.”

Wolfgang Meier, president of Silk Way West Airlines, enthused: “Adherence to the principles of the UN Global Compact offers a standardised framework for our corporate responsibility.

“It paves the way for the airline to systematically approach, implement, and communicate its sustainability strategy, ensuring alignment with universal benchmarks and best practices.”

Silk Way West Airlines operates a fleet of 14 dedicated Boeing 777F, 747-8F, and 747-400F aircraft based at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku.

On April 28, 2021, Silk Way West Airlines signed a deal with Boeing for the purchase of five new 777 freighters.

A subsequent agreement was signed on November 10, 2022 for the purchase of two state-of-the-art 777-8 freighters.

Silk Way West Airlines also agreed the purchase of two A350 freighters with Airbus on June 28, 2022.

In February this year, it signed a component pool agreement with Istanbul-based maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider Turkish Technic for its 777F fleet.

Under the deal, the operator of one of the youngest B777F fleets will gain access to spare parts pooling and MRO services from the Turkish Airlines Group maintenance arm.

Today, Silk Way West’s route network covers over 40 destinations across Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Asia, and the Americas.