British company takes steps to help upgrade Baku airport

18 towable passenger stairs have been delivered to Silk Way Ground Handling as part of the upgrade of Azerbaijan’s main airport (TBD)

TBD, a British manufacturer of ground support equipment and specialist access solutions, has delivered 18 sets of towable passenger stairs to the ground handling branch of Silk Way Airlines in Azerbaijan. The total order, worth more than £500,000 (US$610,000), is part of a general upgrade for Baku’s Heydar Aliyev International Airport in a deal which also coincided with an additional one-off requirement for the Europa Cup final being staged in the city.

In addition to the towable passenger stairs, TBD has also recently supplied a significant quantity of baggage trailers and container and pallet dollies for Silk Way’s ground handling needs.

Jonathan Attfield, sales director of TBD, explains: “TBD competed with numerous global suppliers from the USA, the EU and the Middle East for this contract, but Silk Way was focused on improving quality as well as sourcing a manufacturer that could also deliver on-site training and engineering support.

“We delivered the first sets of stairs in May and our own engineers set up and commissioned the immediate need for 10 more sets for the Europa Cup final. Full training was provided to the technical team at Silk Way Ground Handling so they could then complete the building of the remaining units and commission them into service themselves. Delivering the partially assembled units reduced road transport costs – [a factor] which was also beneficial for the customer,” he adds.