ABC adds Chengdu freighter

   AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) said last week it has started scheduled all-cargo services to Chengdu International Airport.
   The service, operated with a Boeing 747-400 freighter, adds Chengdu – the capital of Sichuan province in Western China – to ABC’s existing route between Zhengzhou, Moscow, and Amsterdam.
   Chengdu is not a new destination for AirBridgeCargo or its parent company Volga-Dnepr Group.
   “Many charter flights with unique cargoes have been operated to the airport by Volga-Dnepr’s AN-124 cargo aircraft,” the airline said. “In addition, a number of emergency flights using both Volga-Dnepr AN-124s and ABC’s Boeing 747 freighters were operated to Chengdu in May 2008, delivering relief goods, medical and rescue equipment to the region after it was hit by a devastating earthquake.”
   The new scheduled routing will operate three times a week, with ABC expecting increased demand for time and security-sensitive commodities from Chengdu’s high-tech industry and high-end products from Europe for Chengdu’s fast developing consumer market.
   In China, ABC already has a presence in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing and Zhengzhou.