FAA DELEGATION VISIT VOLGA-DNEPR AIRLINE OPERATION

Ulyanovsk, December 2003 - A senior delegation from the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has visited Volga-Dnepr Group’s airline headquarters to meet the company’s management team and examine the aviation incident prevention and flight security provision.

The delegation consisted of leading FAA experts - James Belog, director of the flight standards service, Michael Daniel, manager of the international programmes and politics office, Jim Naschadka, the main FAA representative in Russia and CIS, Kristine Sharp, the Russia/CIS specialist, Jeffery Klang, the main counsel assistant, and Olga Varfolomeeva, civil aviation specialist. The Russian Ministry of Transport was represented by Eugeny Lobachev, chief of the flight standards department of civil aviation governmental service (GSGA) of Russia.

During the visit, representatives of the FAA visited the main subsidiaries of Volga-Dnepr and the Aviastar-SP aviation manufacturing plant.

Opening the meeting, Alexey Isaikin, President of Volga-Dnepr Group, and Vladimir Davydov, the airline’s General Director, told the FAA delegation about the structure of Volga-Dnepr Group’s international business and strategic plans for its development, aimed at promoting outsize air cargo in the world market using the unique Antonov AN-124-100 freighter.

Volga-Dnepr Airlines’ specialists presented information on the system of the flight working organization, the flight aviation incident prevention system and the flights quality control system using on-board information. The FAA representatives also saw the activity of the flight control centre and Volga-Dnepr’s international education Linguistic Center.

During the visit of the Aviastar-SP manufacturing plant, the FAA delegation expressed particular interest in the new modernised AN-124-100 Ruslan aircraft № 08-03, being manufactured for the Volga-Dnepr Group.