Work starts on Siberian cargo hub

Work starts on Siberian cargo hub    A ceremony Friday marked the start of construction of a cargo hub at the airport of Krasnoyarsk-Yemelyanovo in Siberia, Russia.
   The new terminal, which is scheduled to open in 2007, will be over 4,000 square meters with adjoining parking spaces for AirBridge Cargo aircraft. The new complex will also include a 2,000-square-meter business center.
   The second stage of development is to be completed in 2008 to incorporate Tier II construction of the same area.
   AirBridge Cargo was part of a trilateral working group formed in 2004 to examine the potential creation of a cargo hub at the airport.
   “For two years AirBridge Cargo has operated flights into Krasnoyarsk, during this time we have learned of the unique potential that the airport has, as a transport hub offering the shortest air routes between Europe, Asia and America, and the vast network for cargo delivery across Russia,” said Stan Wraight, vice president of Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Group, owners of AirBridge Cargo.
   “The successful opening of this logistics center is of critical importance for AirBridge Cargo as we move towards launching transpolar flights in 2007. The introduction of the new 747-400ERF direct services to the Americas and South East Asia from Krasnoyarsk in 2007 requires this first stage of the facility to be fully operational and completed. Our confidence in the Krasnoyarsk hub is shown by this investment and first step.”