July 19 - Volga-Dnepr Group, the Russian scheduled and charter cargo airline has reported a five percent fall in tonnage to 835,000 ton/kilometres during the first six months of this year.
This, says the company, compares favourably with competing Russian carriers which faced an average decline of between 19 percent and 23 percent in domestic and international operations over the same period.
Turnover at AirBridgeCargo Airlines, the group's scheduled cargo airline, increased by five percent, to 551,000 ton/kilometres, during the period. AirBridgeCargo Airlines added European destinations in the Netherlands, Italy and Spain to its network during this time.
Between January and June, charter freight turnover fell to 284,000 ton/kilometres. But, total cargo tonnage delivered by Volga-Dnepr Airlines' AN-124-100 heavy lift freighter fleet increased by 1.2 percent to 37,800 tons.
According to the Group's president Alexey Isaikin the carrier has been able to remain relatively stable despite the challenging global market by sticking to strategic goals and developing a 'cargo supermarket' business model that offers customers a package of logistic services for both charter and scheduled air services. This approach has enabled the group to use its aircraft fleet capabilities efficiently, he added.
