VOLGA-DNEPR PLANS FLEET EXPANSION OF AN-124-100 FREIGHTERS

VOLGA-DNEPR PLANS FLEET EXPANSION OF AN-124-100 FREIGHTERS    Volga-Dnepr Airlines, a Moscow-based airlines specializing in the transport of heavy and outsized air-cargo shipments, said Tuesday it will continue expanding its fleet of Antonov 124-100s.
   At a press conference Washington Tuesday, Alexey Isaikin, director general of Volga-Dnepr, said there are new Antonov 124-100s in various stages of development at the Antonov Design Bureau in Kiev, Ukraine.
   “There’s a certain rule that the (heavy-lift) market can only consume one new aircraft a year,” Isaikin said. “We’re going to stick to this rule.”
   Last summer, Volga-Dnepr increased its AN-124-100 fleet to 10 planes, and expects to add another in about two years. “The fruitful cooperation of the Antonov Design Bureau, the Aviastar aircraft manufacturing plant and Volga-Dnepr Airlines, the AN-124-100’s major operator, made possible the successful launch of a large-scale AN-124-100 fleet modernization program,” the airline said.
   Volga-Dnepr officials estimate that the airline spends about 40 percent of its annual profits to maintain, modernize and extend its fleet. The company upgraded four its AN-134-100s last year. Some of these upgrades included the installation of more efficient engines, modern avionic systems and the introduction of 30-ton capacity onboard winches and overhead traveling cranes. The onboard crane capacity of its planes may soon be increased to 40 tons, the airline said.
   The airline generated sales of $125 million and hauled 31,600 metric tons of cargo last year. Shipments included satellite equipment, aircraft sections, and humanitarian aid. Volga-Dnepr claims to handle about 60 percent of the world’s $208-million heavy-lift air freight business. The airlines is now focused on increasing its business in the U.S. market.
   Volga-Dnepr recently terminated its joint venture with U.K.-based HeavyLift. The airline had relied on HeavyLift to market its capacity, but has since established its own international marketing network in the United States, United Kingdom and Russia.
   “We appreciate the choice our customers have made in doing business with the joint venture during our nearly 10 years in operations, and I want to ensure Volga-Dnepr clients that the quality of our service will not diminish now that we are independent,” Isaikin said.