Volga-Dnepr Group’s results for 2009 show its charter and scheduled cargo airline businesses posted an overall freight traffic growth of seven per cent on 2008, compared to an industry average drop of 10 per cent.
The Group has reported freight traffic carried by Volga-Dnepr Airlines and AirBridgeCargo Airlines rose to 1.845 billion FTK in 2009, contributing to total revenue of US$1.3 billion, down 15 per cent year-on-year but again, bettering the industry average of -23 per cent.
AirBridgeCargo (ABC), the group’s scheduled air cargo services operation, grew freight traffic 20 per cent to 158,800 tonnes thanks to a 16.2 per cent increase in its average payloads, taking its overall load factor for the year to 87.4 per cent. In 2009, the airline substantially expanded its route network, connecting destinations in Europe and Asia through its new air cargo hub at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
On charter front, Volga-Dnepr Airlines maintained its record 2008 volumes through last year, totaling 69,655 tonnes with its AN-124 freighters. Its new IL-76TD-90VD freighters continued to exceed forecasts, with freight traffic growing by 12 per cent in 2009 and the carrier will add a third, new generation IL-76TD-90VD to its fleet in 2010 to satisfy what it said was growing customer demand.