Global aviation group AIR ONE has appointed Ilya Gavrilin as Business Development Director APAC to support the growth of its Boeing 777F and 747F scheduled and charter freighter services across Asia Pacific.

In this new role, Ilya will lead strategic commercial growth, strengthen client partnerships, and support network expansion in the region for AIR ONE’s managed freighter fleet of 11 Boeing 747-400Fs and 2 777Fs. He is based at AIR ONE’s new regional headquarters in Hong Kong.

AIR ONE has been a regular provider of all-cargo capacity ex-APAC since the launch of AIR ONE Aviation in April 2020. Over the past five years, AIR ONE has operated more than 2,843 Boeing freighter flights connecting the region with major cargo markets in Europe and beyond, of which 1,874 originated from Hong Kong. Over the same period, more than 70% of flights originated from APAC countries.

In September 2025, supported by fleet growth, AIR ONE launched its first-ever B747F scheduled services linking Asia Pacific and Europe and now operates two rotations per week between Hong Kong and East Midlands Airport in the UK.

Ilya joins AIR ONE from his former role as Vice President of EURES Express in Hong Kong, forging partnerships with leading cargo airlines. Earlier in his career, Ilya spent over 12 years with Volga-Dnepr Airlines and Volga-Dnepr Group in senior commercial roles in Europe and APAC, setting up the Group’s presence in Hong Kong and, ultimately, serving as Deputy Commercial Director for Boeing 747 charters, and as Head of Integrated Logistics Services (ILS).

Throughout his career, Ilya has built an impressive track record, from securing major charter cargo agreements and exceeding revenue targets during some of the industry’s most challenging market conditions, to launching new business verticals from the ground up into significant revenue-generating streams. Having worked across both the airline and freight forwarding sides of the business, he brings to his new role a strong understanding of both customer and operational requirements.

“As a seasoned commercial leader with over 15 years of experience and deep expertise across major Asia-Pacific markets, Ilya will help to drive our expansion across the region. His focus is to build on our well-established presence as a leading provider of freighter capacity, and to leverage our scheduled and charter capabilities to open new business opportunities for our clients as well as for AIR ONE and our partners,” said Guneet Mirchandani, Chairman of AIR ONE.