MAB Kargo sees beneficial synergies with Azerbaijan carrier
KUALA LUMPUR: Air cargo carrier, MAB Kargo Sdn Bhd, says the synergies emanating from its collaboration service with the Azerbaijan cargo carrier, Silk Way West Airlines, effective March 17, 2016, is beneficial for its international operations.
“We’ve good connectivity from Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Azerbaijan to Chicago with cargo flights operating with a B74-800 freighter once a week and another one flying into JFK International Airport in New York via Baku,” chief executive Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi told Bernama.
He said the strategic partnership between the two air cargo players entails a block space agreement (BSA) on a twice weekly route to and from Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam via Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Azerbaijan.
We’ve good connectivity from Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Azerbaijan to Chicago with cargo flights operating with a B74-800 freighter once a week and another one flying into JFK International Airport in New York via Baku. Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, MAB Kargo Sdn Bhd chief executive
MAB Kargo has a fleet of three A330-200 freighters while Silk Ways of Azerbaijan operates three B747-800 and four B747-400 aircraft.
Luqman said this solid network, built by both partners, would continue to serve key Asian and Australian markets with the fleet of Airbus A330-200 freighters.
The partnership with Silk Way West would also allow MAB Kargo to expand to new destinations such as Baku and Tehran (Iran) and serve familiar markets such as Frankfurt, Malpensa, Vienna, Istanbul and New York, he said.
MAB Kargo carried, in 2016, some 204,118 tonnes, down from 293,075 tonnes flown in 2015.
He added that the 30 per cent decline resulted mainly from the rationalisation for passenger and freighter network.
Commenting on the Brexit issue, Luqman said it would not affect MAB Kargo “because we serve the UK market directly and not through the European Union.” — Bernama