AIRBRIDGECARGO TO SERVICE ALMATY FROM AMSTERDAM SCHIPHOL
Moscow, 2 October 2009 - AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), part of Volga-Dnepr Group, is launching a new Boeing 747 freighter service from Amsterdam, one of its European gateways, to Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The weekly flight will commence on October 5th 2009 and operate via ABC’s hub at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow to support full connectivity with the rest of the ABC network. The introduction of this latest new route reflects ABC’s flexible approach to meeting the demands of its freight forwarding customers.
Almaty is a new destination for AirBridgeCargo. The airline sees significant potential in the Kazakhstan market and expects to attract a wide range of cargo shipments, including high value, luxury goods from France, Germany and Belgium as well as the Netherlands. With the airport being conveniently situated on the route between South East Asia to Europe - historically known as ‘The Silk Road’ - Almaty is fast becoming an attractive destination for the international airfreight community.
Tatyana Arslanowa, ABC’s Executive Senior Vice President, Strategy, Marketing and Sales, said: “Flexibility and a fast response to customers’ changing requirements and new market opportunities is the key to offsetting the global downturn in freight volumes. In 2009, AirBridgeCargo has also opened a new route from Maastricht in the Netherlands to Moscow and increased this to twice weekly. The Netherlands will now be served by eight ABC flights per week, all with direct connections to Russia, Central Asia as well as efficient transit times linking Asia over Russian airspace. Routes to Milan, Kabul and Zaragoza have also been launched recently, where we see further opportunities for growth that is synchronized with our fleet expansion plans.”
About the company
AirBridgeCargo (ABC) is the first Russian all-cargo airline to operate scheduled Boeing 747 freighter services on Europe–Russia–Asia routes. Established in 2003 as a specialist division of Volga-Dnepr Group, ABC now serves primary destinations in Europe (Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Maastricht, Milan) and Asia (Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo). The company also operates ad-hoc charter flights.
Its fleet comprises six Boeing 747 freighters, notably two B747-200F's, one B747-300F and three new B747-400ERF's. The company's fleet expansion plans include the addition of Boeing's new generation B747-8F long-range freighters.