Volga-Dnepr Group 48% growth in sales

Volga-Dnepr Group has announced a 46% increase in sales for 2008 from its charter and scheduled air cargo
services to US$1.4 billion.
The Group, that includes Volga-Dnepr Airlines - the world’s largest charter airline for the movement of outsize and heavyweight cargo – and AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Russia’s leading international scheduled cargo airline, reported a 25% rise in cargo tonnage for the year compared to 2007. The Group transported 267,000
tons of cargo over the 12 month period, while FTKs rose 32%.
According to these provisional results, the Group is now rated 12th in the global ranking of air cargo carriers and is the largest Russian all-cargo airline group.
During the past year, the Group continued its aircraft fleet improvement program:
two brand new B747-400ER Freighters were delivered from the Boeing manufacturing plant in Seattle to
replace older B747-200Fs in the AirBridgeCargo Airlines fleet;
the company continued to operate two modernised IL-76TD-90VD freighters and provided funds for construction
of another three airplanes of the same version to the Tashkent Aviation Factory under an agreement with the Russia United Aircraft Corporation (UAC);
negotiations commenced with UAC for an order for new AN-124-100M-150 aircraft.
2008 saw Volga-Dnepr Group consistently realising its development strategy based on the concept of offering a ‘cargo supermarket’ of all-cargo solutions.
This combines the advantages of charter and scheduled air cargo operations and long-term relationships with key customers and partners worldwide.

Source: Transportweekly