Malaysia Airlines Berhad Kargo and Azerbaijani cargo airline Silk Way West Airlines have signed a memorandum of cooperation enabling the two carriers to access block space on each other’s flights.

As part of the partnership, Silk Way West has launched a twice-weekly Boeing 747-8F flight between Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam, via Baku’s Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

“We have a solid network and will continue to serve key Asian and Australian markets with our fleet of Airbus A330-200Fs,” said Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, chief executive officer of MAB Kargo [right in photo]. “This partnership with Silk Way West will provide us with synergistic benefits by expanding our wings to new destinations such as Baku and Tehran and serve familiar markets such as Frankfurt, Malpensa, Vienna, Istanbul and New York.”

The inaugural Silk Way West flight landed in Kuala Lumpur with approximately 105 tonnes of general cargo and mail. According to MAB Kargo, it received bookings for 95 tonnes of cargo for the return flight.

MAB Kargo has a freighter fleet of four A330-200Fs and two 747-400Fs, while Silk Way West has two 747-400Fs and three 747-8Fs.