Changi Airport Group (CAG) has welcomed AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) to Singapore Changi Airport, with its inaugural flight from Moscow, Russia arriving on 3 September. The international freighter carrier, which is part of Russia-based Volga-Dnepr Group, is launching twice-weekly Moscow-Singapore-Hong Kong-Moscow services with a B747-8F aircraft. ABC’s new services to Singapore establish Moscow as a new freighter city link for Changi Airport, and strengthen Changi Airport’s connectivity to Russia and beyond, the airport group said.

The new dedicated cargo services to Singapore will facilitate the movement of cross-border shipments and enhance the country’s product offerings for its customers in Asia. With the addition of Singapore, which is AirBridgeCargo’s ninth online station in Asia, the airline will now provide over 500 weekly delivery solutions from the region, all with a delivery time of below 48 hours including handling procedures. The airline already has a diverse business portfolio in the region, connecting clients in China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam with its cargo gateways in Europe, the USA and Russia.

Robert van de Weg, ABC’s senior VP, sales & marketing, said: “The ABC team is pleased to start connecting customers in Europe, the US and Singapore with dedicated freighter services to Changi Airport. With the addition of this route, ABC is continuing its strategy to provide customers with better access to point-to-point deliveries within its global route network, while providing them with on-time, reliable and high quality service levels. Singapore, via ABC’s Moscow hub, will be directly connected to gateways like Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Milan without trucking. Asia is a vitally important market for AirBridgeCargo and we look forward to further growth in this dynamic region.”

CAG’s assistant VP for cargo & logistics development, James Fong, added: “This new service by AirBridgeCargo marks a significant milestone for Changi Airport as it opens up new cargo opportunities between Singapore and Russia. Logistics players, who were previously limited by capacity constraints between Singapore and Russia, now have a direct option to transport large freight shipments as well as general cargoes between the two countries. The enhanced air connectivity will foster further trade between both countries which is already growing steadily.”

In the first half of 2015, cargo throughput at Changi Airport reached 912,300 tonnes. During this period, 1,034 tonnes of cargo was handled between Singapore and Russia. Between 2010 and 2014, air cargo volumes between Singapore and Russia grew by an average growth rate of 16 per cent annually.