The current corona epidemic is having a significant impact on the air cargo industry. However, in order to maintain the business of the customers, Silkway West Airlines has kept its scheduled and charter flights throughout those challenging and turbulent times.
With more than 20 flights weekly connecting China with its global hub in Baku, Silkway is performing its operation through a mix of charter and scheduled flights. The flights will be operated in accordance with recommendations from the WHO and other regulatory bodies as well as Silkway’s own restrictions including no crew layovers in China.
“We have decided to honor the loyalty of our BSA (Blocked Space Agreement) customers also throughout difficult times. Therefore we have not followed the way in cancelling all our scheduled flights by operating just charters as we think that on the long run it will bring us even closer to our partners. We are a forwarders airline and we will further expand on those relationships by enhancing the group of close partners,” says Wolfgang Meier, CEO/President of Silkway West Airlines.
“In addition, we would like to thank our pilots and the entire team in being utmost cooperative in finding the right pattern to keep up the operation throughout. Together with our international teams we have managed to demonstrate a solidary unity towards our colleagues and customers, which I am really proud of. As the result of our ongoing operation our activities just have been broadcasted China wide on CCTV Channel 1 and as well through other TV station,” adds Mr. Meier. Even before the offices in Shanghai, Zhengzhou and Tianjin could be reopened, the employees worked in home office to ensure that the airline could offer its services with as few restrictions as possible.
“Of course it is currently a daily challenge to manage the imbalances of the various trade lanes but we do count on the understanding of our partners as this is a real special situation. And of course we are very much focused on our operations to and from China but I shall emphasize that our global network is up and running. Markets in North America, Europe, The Mideast, South Asia, South East Asia, Japan and Korea are been served on fully fledged bases”, says Wolfgang Meier.
