EU and Nato choose Antonov 124-100 Ruslan freighters for Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (Salis) project

Leipzig, March 23rd 2006: EU and NATO have chosen the Antonov 124-100 Ruslan freighter to satisfy the requirements of its Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS) project. The aircraft will be supplied by Ruslan SALIS GmbH on behalf of Volga-Dnepr Group and ADB Antonov.

Following a competitive tendering process, EU and NATO’s decision was formally announced today at a ceremony at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, attended by high-ranking representatives of NATO, EU as well as SALIS-nations and by Andrey Reus, deputy minister of Russian industry and energy, Tatiana Anodina, Chairman of Interstate Aviation Committee, Dmitry Kiva, ADB Antonov general designer and Alexey Isaikin, President of Volga-Dnepr Group.

“It is a great honour for us to be chosen to take part in the joint strategic cargo project of NATO countries and the European Union. In partnership with ANTK Antonov, Volga-Dnepr Group had offered AN-124-100 Ruslan aircraft for the SALIS project and we are delighted to see that the advantages offered by this unique aircraft were justly appreciated,” said Alexey Isaikin.

Ruslan SALIS will provide cargo charter services for the EU and NATO project members utilising up to six AN-124-100 aircraft. The services will be offered on a parity basis by Volga-Dnepr Airlines and Antonov Airlines. The signed agreement is for three years with an option to be extended to 2012. Under the terms of the contract, two AN-124-100 aircraft will be based in Leipzig. Charter flights for the project members will be performed by Russian and Ukrainian crews.

The project was initiated in 2001 to provide sufficient strategic lift capability to allow NATO member countries and the EU to contribute to security across the world. The project assumes NATO and EU countries will use the AN-124-100 as a temporary alternative to the new Airbus A400M military transport aircraft.

Deliveries of A400M aircraft will not start until 2009 at the earliest and it will take until 2012 for the A400M fleet to be of a sufficient size to meet all of NATO and the EU’s requirements.

SALIS member countries are Canada, Great Britain, Germany, France, Portugal, Denmark, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Hungary, Norway, Finland, Czech, Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland.