AIR PARTNER AND RUSLAN INTERNATIONAL ENSURES SAFE DELIVERY OF HISTORICAL ARTS FOR ‘MEDIEVAL MOROCCO’ EXHIBITION AT THE LOUVRE MUSEUM IN PARIS

Ruslan International, part of Volga-Dnepr Group, and air charter broker, Air Partner, have been entrusted with carrying 18 tonnes of artefacts from Rabat in Morocco to Paris Vatry in France for an exhibition of ‘Medieval Morocco’ at the world famous Louvre Museum.  

The exhibition includes pieces of art such as architectural decoration, textiles, ivory and calligraphy dating back to the 11^th-15^th centuries. Open to the public from 17 October 2014 until 19 January 2015, it provides a new look at the period when the western Islamic world was at the height of its glory, as much in terms of its artistic production as its place in history, and recognises this powerful civilisation’s position at the centre of diplomatic and trade networks.

The total value of the exhibition pieces carried onboard Volga-Dnepr’s An-124 freighter cannot be estimated as the artefacts are priceless. The cargo included some pieces up to 4m in height.  

The delivery was completed by Ruslan International, the An-124 joint venture between Volga-Dnepr and Antonov Airlines, and was operated on behalf of leading aircraft charter company, Air Partner, for the National Foundation of Museums of Morocco.

“It was very important for the customer that this valuable cargo was transported safely and on-time to France to complete the necessary preparation work at the Louvre before the exhibition opens to the public. We ensured the artworks were delivered with great  care and precision in accordance with our customers’ requirements using our longstanding experience of moving sensitive, high value shipments all over the world,”  said Ekaterina Andreeva, Sales Executive at Volga-Dnepr Airlines. 

Thierry Zemouli, Freight Manager for Air Partner France, commented: “With over 50 years’ experience, the team at Air Partner really understands the challenges involved with transporting high value cargo safely and on time. Our unique knowledge and experience from across the globe means that we can tailor every flight to our clients’ unique requirements, delivering the most cost-effective and efficient solution every time. We are also delighted to have the opportunity to work with Ruslan International and Volga-Dnepr again, further building on our long-standing relationship which enables us, together, to provide our clients with a truly exceptional level of service.”

Volga-Dnepr has considerable expertise in managing deliveries of high value cargo for both state museums and owners of private collections. These shipments have included transporting the famous ‘Terracotta Army’ sculptures of Chinese warriors from Shanghai to Guam onboard one of its IL-76TD aircraft, and the delivery of more than 100 paintings of the Tretyakov Gallery holdings from the 18^th-20^th centuries from Moscow to Beijing. The airline was also asked to transport treasured artworks from the Hermitage Museum to the Kuwait National Museum.

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About Ruslan International

Formed in 2006 by two of the world’s foremost outsizer cargo airlines - Antonov Airlines and Volga-Dnepr Airlines, Ruslan International is responsible for the sales and marketing of a joint fleet of 17 Antonov An124-100 ‘Ruslan’freighters.

Ruslan International is part of Volga-Dnepr Group, the world leader in the unique, oversize and heavy cargo market. The Group also include the charter operator namely Volga-Dnepr Airlines,  scheduled cargo airline AirBridgeCargo (ABC), and Volga-Dnepr Technics (VDT), which provides a wide range of Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services for the Group’s scheduled and charter cargo airlines as well as for third party customers.

 About Air Partner

Air Partner has been trading for over 50 years and is a world leading provider of aviation charter services to industry, commerce, governments and individuals worldwide. The Group is globally recognised as a leading charter broker and organises ad hoc aircraft charters of every type for any reason.

Its three main divisions comprise Air Partner Private Jets, Air Partner Commercial Jets and Air Partner Freight. The Commercial Jets division charters large airliners to move groups of any size. Private Jets offers the company's pre-paid JetCard scheme and on-demand charter. With its headquarters alongside Gatwick airport in the UK, Air Partner operates 24/7 year-round and has 20 offices globally. Air Partner is also the only air charter broker in the UK certified ISO 9001:2008 compliant for commercial airline and private jet solutions worldwide.

Air Partner Freight charters aircraft of every size to fly cargo anywhere, at any time, whatever its weight, size or shape. Serving governments, leading industrial shippers and relief and humanitarian organisations, the freight team provides bespoke air charter solutions to meet a wide range of cargo charter needs.  From urgent ‘go now’ requirements moving small quantities of automotive spare parts, through to the most complex project cargo shipments taking several months to plan, Air Partner Freight has the skills, experience and expertise to ensure shipments are handled securely and reliably. Air Partner Freight has cargo specialists in the UK, USA, Germany, France, Turkey, and Singapore, who provide strength of knowledge by utilising regional carriers for tailored charter services.

Volga-Dnepr Gulf awarded EASA Part-145 aircraft maintenance certificate in Sharjah

NEWS RELEASE

Volga-Dnepr Gulf (VD Gulf), Volga-Dnepr Technics’ subgroup branch in the Middle East has been awarded an EASA Part-145 aircraft maintenance certificate after meeting all of the procedures required by the European Aviation Safety Agency to perform maintenance services on western-built aircraft at its Sharjah Airport base.

The EASA Part-145 certificate allows VD Gulf to perform line maintenance for Boeing 737 CL and NG, Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A320 family aircraft, as well as component repair services for С4, С5, С8, С14, С20 ratings and D1 non-destructive checks.  

VD Gulf also plans to extend the ratings of its EASA/GCAA certificates for Boeing 747 and Boeing 737 NG aircraft up to the C-check maintenance level. 

Victor Sherin, Managing Director of Volga-Dnepr Gulf, said: “I congratulate our VD Gulf team on enabling us to meet the standards required to gain EASA Part-145 certification. This further confirms our capability to work to the highest international MRO standards.  Now we will focus on our next important objective of becoming a leader in the Middle East MRO market. Our modern maintenance station at Sharjah Airport, team of highly skilled professionals, and optimised processes and partnerships mean we are strongly positioned to achieve our goal.”

Volga-Dnepr Gulf has been operating in the UAE since 1996. The company has a new 22,000m² ultra-modern hangar complex in Sharjah with the capacity to conduct maintenance work on six narrow-body or two wide-body Boeing 747 or An-124-100 aircraft at the same time. The complex is fully equipped to perform high quality maintenance services for different types of aircraft up to the C-check level. It is also equipped with modern air conditioning and fire extinguishing systems. Volga-Dnepr also operates a line maintenance station in Fujairah which is capable of providing all types of maintenance checks and auxiliary services for An-124-100, An-74 and IL-76TD aircraft types operated by Russian, Ukrainian, European, Asian and African airlines.

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WORLDWIDE FLIGHT SERVICES (WFS) ACQUIRES CONTROLLING STAKE IN ORBITAL GROUP OF BRAZIL; FIRST STEP INTO THE LATIN AMERICA GROUND HANDLING MARKET

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has taken its first step into the Latin America ground handling market by acquiring a controlling shareholding in Orbital Group, one of Brazil’s leading providers of ramp, passenger and airport security services.

The investment is also timed to serve as a platform for France-based WFS to enter the cargo handling market in Brazil as new opportunities emerge.

Founded in 2002, Orbital has operations at 19 airports across Brazil and handles some 23,000 flights a year for over 30 major airline customers. The company employs 1,700 staff and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, and generates annual sales of approximately US$40 million.

Under the terms of the deal, Rubens Pereira Leitão Filho, Managing Director of Orbital Group will continue in this role and as a shareholder in the company.

Olivier Bijaoui, President & CEO of WFS, said: “We’ve been looking for an entry point to the Latin America market for a number of years. Rather than jump at the first opportunity, we have waited for the right one to come along. Brazil was a clear choice because of its economic strength, growth and the scale of commercial aviation to support the objectives we have in entering the market. We are delighted to welcome Orbital and its 1,700 employees into the global WFS family of companies. Orbital has been a success story in its own right and is highly respected for its quality, stability and growth, and as a caring employer. It shares the same corporate values as WFS and we are confident it is an excellent fit for us.”

Rubens Filho added: “We are very excited to be working with WFS. It is a world leader in ground handling with a strong and growing business covering over 120 airports in more than 20 countries, and has a client base of 300 airlines. Its expertise will add to the current activities performed by Orbital and generate consequent development and growth. Our airline customers and airport authority partners will benefit from new technologies and specialized services, particularly for air cargo handling given WFS’ position as the world’s largest cargo handling company, processing four million tonnes a year.”

WFS also announced the appointment of Adolfo Morales as Executive Vice President -  Latin America, based in Miami.  

“Orbital have demonstrated their ability to be successful in a challenging and competitive market as well as the creativity to develop ancillary services, such as baggage handling. Now there will be expansion opportunities that would not have been possible for our two companies separately. We plan to build a business together throughout Brazil, entering new markets and increasing the range of services we offer to our customers. We are very positive about the prospects for the Brazilian economy, as one of the emerging BRICS national economies, and through its historical and commercial ties with Europe and North America respectively,” Adolfo Morales said.

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About WFS

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) was founded in 1971 and is a leading global provider of ground handling and technical services, and the world’s largest cargo handler. Today it is present at over 120 major airports in more than 20 countries on five continents. WFS serves 300 airlines globally, including the handling of four million tonnes of cargo and 50 million airline passengers per annum. The company employs 10,000 staff worldwide and reports annual revenues of €620 million.

AIRBRIDGECARGO WINS A TRANSPORT ‘OSCAR’

AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), Russia’s largest scheduled cargo airline and part of Volga-Dnepr Group, has been awarded the ‘Best Cargo Airline’ Golden Chariot award at a ceremony in Berlin that is recognised as the ‘Oscars’ of the transport industry.

The awards ceremony took place at the Kempinski Hotel in Berlin during the Onnotrans international transport exhibition, which attracted more than 100,000 professionals from over 140 countries. Andrey Andreev, ABC’s Head of Sales & Business Development, received the award on behalf of the airline from the President of OSJD, Tadeusz Szozda, and Gennady Bessonov, Secretary General of the Coordinating Council of Transsiberian Transportation (CCTT).

“We are extremely honoured to have won this transport award and especially proud that this recognition should come as ABC celebrates its 10th anniversary. This is a tribute to the hard work of our team around the world, the support of our parent company, Volga-Dnepr Group, and our constant drive to work to the highest quality standards. ABC has been fortunate to win a number of awards voted for by our customers and partners and now we are proud to receive this transport award from the industry authorities and professionals,” said Andrey Andreev.

The ceremony took place with the support and participation of the
International Union of Railways (UIC), the Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD), the International Union of Public Transport (UITP), the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA), the International Association ‘Coordinating Council on Transsiberian Transportation’ (CCTT), the transport group of NATO and other leading international industry associations.

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FRENCH TRADE DELEGATION MEETS WITH VOLGA-DNEPR

The French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE, responsible for export promotion, has paid a visit to Volga-Dnepr Airlines in Ulyanovsk to gain a better understanding of its unique air logistics capabilities.

The delegation included members of UBIFRANCE, a French government organisation that comes under the aegis of the Secretary of State in charge of Foreign Trade, representatives of the French Embassy in Russia and senior executives from French aerospace corporations that produce technology systems, avionics, aircraft parts and paint materials for the aviation industry.   

  

The group was hosted by members of Volga-Dnepr Airlines’ senior management team, who provided a presentation on the airline and its range of transportation and logistics services before inviting the airline’s guests to tour its high-tech Flight Operations Center, which monitors Volga-Dnepr’s international operations on a 24/7/365 basis. The UBIFRANCE group also visited Volga-Dnepr’s Training Centre and its unique An-124-100 flight simulator.

The tour was completed by a visit to the airline’s Maintenance Department at Ulyanovsk-Vostochny Airport, where technical staff shared their knowledge of the An-124, the world’s largest series-produced transport aircraft, and highlighted its outstanding technical characteristics and bespoke loading equipment used for heavy and outsize cargo deliveries.

Both sides expressed their hope to cooperate in the future.

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AIRBRIDGECARGO AIRLINES ADDS MORE B747F FLIGHTS EX TOKYO AND SEOUL

AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), Russia’s largest international cargo airline and a part of Volga-Dnepr Group, is increasing its Boeing 747 freighter flights linking Tokyo and Seoul with Moscow. 

Starting from 1 October, ABC will increase its scheduled flights from Moscow to Tokyo’s Narita Airport and on the onward connection to Seoul, Korea, to three services a week. ABC’s flights to Tokyo and Seoul’s Incheon International Airport will operate every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The extra frequencies reflect ABC’s growth in the Asia Pacific region and extend its commitment to the Japanese and Korean air cargo and manufacturing markets, which began in 2007 and 2010 respectively.

“Asia Pacific as a whole is vital for Volga-Dnepr Group with three of the world’s top five economies located in the region. We see fundamental changes in APAC, with the constantly growing importance and influence of Asian economies as well as increasing intra-Asian trade and fast-growing consumer demand,” said Anton Khodakovskiy,

Volga Dnepr Group’s Vice President, Japan and South Korea

The new services will help ABC’s customers to meet increased consumer demand, especially in the automotive sector. Over the last eight months, ABC’s tonnage from Japan and Korea has grown by 40%. The highest level of growth has been seen on AirBridgeCargo’s routes to Europe and Russia, where volumes rose 20% and 46% respectively over this period. Overall, ABC transported 6,810 tonnes of cargo from Japan and Korea in the eight months to the end of August. 

AirBridgeCargo’s DAP (delivered as promised) performance figures on these routes were also above the industry average, reaching 90% during in the 1 January-31 August, 2014 period.

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News Release: Chapman Freeborn and Volga-Dnepr deliver Argentina’s first satellite on AN-124 charter

Chapman Freeborn Airchartering and Volga-Dnepr Airlines have helped Argentina’s aerospace industry deliver a piece of history by transporting the first-ever space satellite manufactured in the country from San Carlos de Bariloche Airport to its launch site in French Guiana.

The ARSAT-1 satellite and its special transport container, weighing in common about 40 tons, were carried onboard an An-124-100 freighter under the Ruslan International joint venture. The flight was performed by Volga-Dnepr on behalf of the Brazil office of global aircraft charter specialists Chapman Freeborn. 

Speaking on behalf of Chapman Freeborn in Brazil, Maria Faria said: “We’re delighted to have managed this high-profile charter operation on behalf of our client. I would also like to thank Volga-Dnepr for its support in making this operation a huge success. The customer was very happy with the professionalism demonstrated.”

John Meehleder, Sales Executive of Volga-Dnepr Unique Air Cargo, said: “We have served customers in Argentina for some 22 years and over this period have carried over 7,000 tons of import and export cargo. We are proud to have helped Argentina make history by carrying the country’s first-ever satellite and look forward to being part of its ongoing growth in the global aerospace market.”  

ARSAT-1 is a geostationary communications satellite manufactured in Argentina by the INVAP S.E. company. It is scheduled to be launched in October 2014 and will provide a wide range of telecommunications, data transmission, telephone and television services mainly across all of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.

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About Chapman Freeborn

Chapman Freeborn was established in the UK in 1973 and the group’s unparalleled global network comprises of over 30 locations around the world.

The company specialises in the charter and lease of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft for a wide ranging client base including freight forwarders, multinational corporations, governments, humanitarian agencies and a host of industries around the globe.

In addition to cargo charters and on board courier (OBC) services, Chapman Freeborn offers specialist passenger services including private jet and helicopter charters for executive travel and large aircraft for crew rotations and international group travel.

About Volga Dnepr

Volga-Dnepr Group is the world leader in the unique, oversize and heavy cargo market and the biggest Russian air cargo carrier. The Group’s companies include the charter operator namely Volga-Dnepr Airlines and scheduled cargo airline AirBridgeCargo (ABC). Volga-Dnepr Airlines fleet includes 10 An-124-100 “Ruslan” and five modernized IL-76TD-90VD cargo aircraft. The current ABC fleet includes 12 Boeing 747s (four B747-400ERF, three B-747-400F and five B-747-8F). In June 2011 Atran Airlines was included in the Volga-Dnepr Group. At present, Atran’s fleet consists of two Boeing 737-400SF freighters. Volga-Dnepr Technics (VDT) is a separate business unit within Volga-Dnepr Group. It provides a wide range of Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services for the Group’s scheduled and charter cargo airlines as well as for third party customers.

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