INTERACTIVE BUSINESS NEWS FROM THE HEAVYWEIGHT IN AIRFREIGHT

Since the last issue of BIG NEWS, Volga- Dnepr Group has celebrated its 15th anniversary, an important milestone in our history.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers all over the world for your support over this period. I hope we have consistently demonstrated the quality, reliability and expertise of our people and aircraft fleet.

Whilst our teams in Europe, North America and Asia have been celebrating our proud achievements over the last 15 years, I am reminded of how far we have come as an organisation that began its commercial life with a single AN-124-100 freighter aircraft.

AirBridge Cargo has taken delivery of a third Boeing 747 freighter in time to meet peak season demand on its main trade lane between China and Europe via Russia.

The airline has signed a long term lease agreement with EAST, managed by GATX of the USA, for the Boeing 747-300SF cargo aircraft converted from passenger configuration by Boeing in Wichita, Kansas. The aircraft, one of only three of its type,
was built in 1990 and offers a 30 pallet main deck configuration similar to the 747-400F.

The acquisition of the airline’s third B747F
comes at an opportune time as recently
concluded negotiations between the Russian
and Chinese authorities have resulted in
AirBridge securing additional traffic rights to
China. This will enable ABC to further increase
frequencies to Shanghai and Beijing and
open services to new destinations such as
Guangzhou and Nanjing. Full story

Thanks to the unique operating capabilities and reliability record of the AN-124, matched by the knowledge and professionalism of our employees, we have been able to consistently grow our business. We have successfully attracted many of the most highly skilled people in the world of aviation to work with us and, of course, we have grown our AN-124 fleet to 10 aircraft and supported this with IL-76F operations.

In 2004, we achieved another strategic milestone when Volga-Dnepr Group launched AirBridge Cargo, Russia’s first international scheduled cargo airline. We also took delivery of our 10th AN-124-100 with its improved payload of 150 tonnes.

We look back with pride but it is our future
that is most exciting. Full story

The first modified Ilyushin IL-76TD-90VD freighter is to undergo over 50 test flights to confirm its compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements before entering service with Volga-Dnepr Group by the end of the year.

The testing programme to monitor the aircraft’s performance against current and future ICAO noise requirements is being carried out by S.V. Ilyushin Design Bureau, accompanied by Russia’s State Civil Aviation Research Institute and the State Air navigation Research Institute. The programme is managed through operational bases at the TAPOiC Aircraft Factory and Zhukovsky flight testing facilities. The second IL-76_D-90VD freighter set to join Volga-Dnepr’s fleet is currently in the final assembly shop. Modifications to reinforce the wings and install pylons for the freighter’s new engines have been completed. The aircraft is expected to enter commercial service in the second quarter of 2006. Full story

Volga-Dnepr Airlines has completed eight AN-124-100 cargo flights carrying relief aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina on the southern coast of the United States.

Its first shipment, on behalf of the UK
government, operated from RAF Brize Norton
to Little Rock, Arkansas, with supplies of food and medicines and water purification
equipment. Two further flights from the UK
were also completed, each carrying a further
90 tonnes of relief goods, including tents,
blankets and drinking water.

Volga-Dnepr has also carried out humanitarian operations for the Dutch and Italian governments. Full story

Volga-Dnepr Group and Vnesheconombank, one of Russia’s oldest financial institutions, have concluded an agreement regarding financing arrangements for the resumption of AN-124-100 aircraft production and the IL-76 freighter modernisation programme.

The co-operation agreement was signed in Moscow by Vladimir Dmitriyev, Chairman of Vnesheconombank, and Alexey Isaikin, President of Volga-Dnepr Group and provides for long-term co-operation between the two companies. Full story

Volga-Dnepr Airlines is to acquire five new AN-124-100M-150 freighter aircraft after signing a delivery agreement with the Aviastar-SP aviation plant as part of the AN-124-100 Production Recovery Project. Deliveries of the new 150 tonnes capacity aircraft will begin in 2008.

Volga-Dnepr Airlines came to the rescue of heavyweight gold mining equipment bound for Kazakhstan after the shipment got stuck in port.

The total weight of the stone crushing
equipment was more than 160 tonnes.
The largest single piece weighed over 65
tonnes and measured 6.2 x 5.9 x 4.3 metres. The special mining equipment was
manufactured in Ukraine and the initial
logistics plan aimed to complete the delivery to Kazakhstan by a combination of river and road. However, when the shipment arrived at the port of Saratov, a number of obstacles on its planned road journey – notably bridges, electrical power lines and buildings – meant flying the cargo was the only viable solution. Full Story

The AN-124-100-150 is an operationally improved version of the AN-124 outsize and heavyweight cargo aircraft, capable of transporting single or multiple pieces of cargo weighing up to 150 tonnes as well as general cargo. Modification of the aircraft extends the AN-124’s freight capacity and involves the use of modernised on-board equipment. The new aircraft will also require fewer crew members, reducing from six currently to four. Full story

At the Moscow Aerospace Show (MAKS-2005), Volga-Dnepr Group, Antonov Design Bureau and Aviastar-SP Aircraft Factory signed an agreement to establish a branch of Ukraine’s Antonov Design Bureau at the Aviastar-SP Aircraft Factory in Ulyanovsk, Russia. The move is another significant step towards relaunching serial production of the 150-tonnes capacity AN-124 cargo aircraft. The main activities of the newly established Ulyanovsk office will encompass the designer's support of production and operation of the AN-124 aircraft family. Full story

Volga-Dnepr has completed its first flight
carrying Pratt & Whitney engines for the
new Airbus A380 aircraft from the United
States to Toulouse, France.

Organised by Volga-Dnepr’s Houston office for
the Atlanta branch of Chapman Freeborn AirChartering, the flight carried four A380 engines and spare tooling, each weighing approximately 11,000 kilos. With some 50 new A380s reported to be using P&W engines, Volga-Dnepr hopes the successful completion of its first delivery from Hartford, Connecticut, will lead to a series of other flights for the engine manufacturer. Full story

Volga-Dnepr Airlines has appointed Matthew Thear to the newly-created post of Customer Service Manager. Matthew is based at Stansted and reports to Dennis Gliznoutsa, Group Commercial Director. “Following discussions with a number of our customers, we jointly recognised the value of Volga-Dnepr creating a single point of contact for all aspects of flight preparation and flight operation. This includes pro-active information on flight progress, advice on cargo preparation, delivery, customs clearance, traffic rights and royalty payments at particular airports. It will ensure we more easily capture customer feedback and help to further strengthen our existing business relationships as well as enabling our sales team to focus on new business opportunities,” said Dennis Gliznoutsa

Clair Frankson has joined Volga-Dnepr’s international sales team, based at London’s Stansted Airport. She previously worked for KLM and, most recently, the executive jet operator Gold Air International as senior operations controller. In this role, she was responsible for aircraft charter sales, maintaining aircraft schedules to meet client specifications, aircraft and crew optimisation and flight arrangements.