Silk Way West Airlines has signed a multi-year ULD agreement with ACL Airshop, commencing November 1, 2017.

According to Silk Way West, the two companies will work together to enhance the logistics efficiencies of Silk Way’s ULD fleet. ACL Airshop’s recently announced strategic alliance with New Zealand IT company CORE Transport Technologies, introduction of Bluetooth innovations for real-time tracking of ULDs, and new operations centre in Amsterdam will result in better utilization rates and cost efficiencies for Silk Way.

“Since we pursue a lean and agile business strategy, improved ULD logistics has become one of our strategic focuses, as it directly contributes to the bottom line while substantiating the growth of the top line,” said Emile Khasanshin, vice president of global operations at Silk Way West Airlines. “We were looking for a company that could meet our rigorous cost expectations and flexibility requirements, demonstrate smart usage of the latest technologies as well as customer-oriented business processes. These factors along with their substantial expansion plans have cemented our careful decision to stick with ACL Airshop. And we believe the new Bluetooth-enabled ULD tracing technology will be a game changer for us both, and for our end-customers.”

ACL Airshop has already been a service partner with other airline units of Silk Way Holding for almost 10 years.

“We look forward to continuing our large existing service partnership with Silk Way West Airlines, a successful and rapidly growing global cargo airline,” said Steve Townes, chairman of ACL Airshop and CEO of ACL’s parent company. “We are proud and honoured that we are able to stand out from our competitors with an efficient, cost-effective, flexible solution. We are committed to helping Silk Way West Airlines grow their global cargo network.”

Silk Way West Airlines is based in Baku, Azerbaijan, and currently operates a fleet of one Boeing 747-400F and five 747-8Fs.