Volga-Dnepr sales up 51% in 2007

Volga-Dnepr sales up 51% in 2007    Russia's Volga-Dnepr Group today reported a 51 percent rise in group-wide sales for 2007 to $1.05 billion, which it attributed to substantial growth in the specialist air charter market for outsize and heavy cargoes, and increased presence in the scheduled cargo business.
   The group said Volga-Dnepr Airlines, its outsize and heavyweight charter airline, still controls half of the global market in that segment, and returned revenue of $767 million in 2007, up 62 percent from 2006. The charter airline transported 59,700 tons of cargo on board its AN-124-100 freighter fleet during the year, a 43 percent rise. A further 51,300 tons of cargo was carried using the IL-76TD-90VD freighter fleet.
   Scheduled cargo airline AirBridgeCargo saw its annual sales rise 32 percent to more than $300 million with volume on its Boeing 747F fleet up 29 percent to 101,900 tons.