WEEKLY NEWS BY Edward HARDY


WHEELS-UP AS BAKU PREPARES FOR CASPIAN AIR CARGO SUMMIT


THIS year’s Caspian Air Cargo Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, will be the tenth edition since its launch in 2006. The event is organised by Euroavia International and hosted by local airfreight carrier Silk Way West Airlines. The venue will be the magnificent Baku Convention Centre. For the first time, the summit will be arranged in conjunction with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – the Baku Formula 1 Street Race. The welcome reception will kick off in the evening of 22nd September, one day after the race, to allow our attendees to combine Formula 1 and the Caspian Summit if they wish. Conference days will be 23–24th September. What is the story behind the launch of the first Caspian Summit in


2006? When Lars-Gunnar Comén, Director of Euroavia International, attended the TIACA Annual General Meeting in Istanbul in April 2005, he was approached by top executives from Silk Way Airlines, who invited him to come to Baku and discuss whether it might be feasible to set up an airfreight event in Azerbaijan. He was delighted to look deeper into this unique opportunity to start something new in one of the most exciting emerging markets in the former USSR region. After the initial trip to Baku in May 2005, it was decided to organise the first Caspian Air Cargo Summit in May 2006. The event and hosting company, including the aviation scene in


Azerbaijan in general, have developed significantly since 2006. Back then, Silk Way was a relatively small cargo carrier operating mainly Ilyushin-76 aircraft. Baku has the perfect location, connecting Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. As cargo infrastructure at Baku Heydar Aliyev Airport has improved, Silk Way has been able to grow, constantly adding more freighters and routes to become a world-leading cargo airline. The local market in the Caspian region is mainly focused on goods


needed for the oil and gas industry. Local cargo is not insignificant, but growth has been largely based on developing Baku into a major cargo transit hub connecting the Europe–Asia trade lane. Cargo operators in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have benefited from the closure of Russian airspace in recent years. It was never the idea to base the Caspian Air Cargo Summit


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concept primarily on local market perspectives. The Caspian Summit has attracted world leaders in the global airfreight industry from all over the globe since the inaugural event in 2006. In the early years, there were around 200–250 attendees, but the most recent summit in 2023 had almost 450 delegates returning after a four-year hiatus due to COVID-19. Prime success factors have been a relevant and strong conference


programme, excellent entertainment in terms of superb gala dinners, and, above all, ebullient hospitality provided by Silk Way West Airlines. Azerbaijani people know how to entertain and take good care of their guests. This is why most delegates return to the Caspian Summit year after year. Caspian Air Cargo Summit 2025 offers a variety of timely topics


for airlines, forwarders, airports, or anyone active in airfreight or supply chain industries. We will have a strong session with leading forwarders assessing current market conditions,


Krikken (DSV), Michael Blaufuss (DHL Global Forwarding), and Soror Basalom from Saudi forwarder Bahri Integrated Logistics. Other topics will


include the current turmoil in world trade,


e-commerce, the global airfreight outlook, sustainability, the future of cargo aircraft, and the outlook for Central Asia and the Middle East. One of the highlights of the programme will be the presentation


of Silk Way’s new international cargo airport project, located within the Alat Free Economic Zone. Operated by SW AFEZCO, the airport will become a key component of the Silk Way Cargo Village, together with the Alat Logistics Centre. This integrated logistics platform is designed to provide multimodal transport solutions and to support the group’s long-term growth across Eurasia. “Our vision is to position the new cargo airport as a central force in


the future of global cargo logistics,” said Zaur Akhundov, President of Silk Way Group. “The Caspian Air Cargo Summit is the perfect platform to present this strategic project and to engage with the industry leaders who are shaping tomorrow’s supply chains.” All details are available at www.caspianaircargosummit.com


including Stefan


AIR CARG O WEEK


ACW18 AUGUST 2025


www.aircargoweek.com


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