Record number of participants and announced multi-billion investments, including the completion of a new intermodal hub in 2027 and the expansion of Silk Way West Airlines' fleet

The tenth edition of the Caspian Air Cargo Summit, hosted by Silk Way West Airlines at the Baku Convention Centre, concluded successfully yesterday, 24 September 2025, reaffirming Azerbaijan's strategic role as a critical hub for global logistics. The three-day event gathered more than 400 delegates from over 45 countries, including senior executives from industry giants such as DSV, Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Atlas Air Worldwide and dnata.

The summit (22-24 September) was an opportunity to emphasize the growing importance of the Middle Corridor in global trade, which links Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The chairman of Silk Way Group, Zaur Akhundov, commented that the event reflects "not only the growth of this conference, but also the dynamism of our industry", reaffirming the commitment to strengthen Azerbaijan's role as a global hub.

At the center of discussions and announcements were Silk Way Group's expansion plans for Baku's infrastructure:

- Alat Intermodal Mega-Hub: the flagship project is the creation of an Airport & Cargo Village within the Alat Free Economic Zone, a state-of-the-art 750-hectare facility. This hub will integrate air, sea, road and rail connections. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with operations scheduled to begin in early 2027.

- Joint-ventures and additional services: for the management of the new airport, Silk Way Group signed a joint-venture with dnata as the handling operator. In addition, a memorandum of understanding was signed with ExecuJet for the development of business aviation and FBO (Fixed-Base Operator) services and for the establishment of a regional Gulfstream maintenance center in the new facility.

Silk Way West Airlines also provided an update on its ambitious fleet modernization programme, aimed at keeping it among the youngest and most efficient long-range fleets in the world. This includes the acquisition of 10 Boeing 777 freighters and 4 Airbus A-350 freighters.

The summit sessions also delved into crucial topics for the future of air cargo, such as digital innovation, sustainability and investment opportunities in Central Eurasia.