VOLGA-DNEPR GROUP CONTINUES TRANSPORTATION FOR THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

July, 2003, Moscow (Russia). - Volga-Dnepr Airline that is a part of Volga-Dnepr international group of companies in the frame of oil mining work has completed the transportation of oil & gas equipment. Two flights completed on 28 and 30 June by Il-76 from Urumchi (China) delivered two oil & gas pumps with the total weight of 33 tons each to Astrakhan (Russia).

While loading the pumps into the cargo cabin of the plane the special 50-ton crane provided by the client was used. It is designed for speeding-up the loading-unloading process. Besides technical specialists of Volga-Dnepr used special loading system for cargo that weights less than 30 tons. This system was designed and patented by specialist of technical department of Volga-Dnepr group. Unique possibilities and technical characteristics of Volga-Dnepr air fleet, high-qualified staff and specially designed loading-unloading technology provide stable status in the sector of air transfer of superheavy and outsize cargo.

The successfully completed transportation became the next in Volga-Dnepr program of transportation of different oil & gas equipment to Russian Federation for domestic clients. During the second part of the year it is planned to continue transporting oil & gas equipment for the world leading oil & gas companies. In march 2003 Volga-Dnepr Group carried out the transportation of oil & gas equipment for the leading Russian oil company Lukoil from Calgary (Canada) to Usinsk (Komi Republic of the Russian Federation).

Volga-Dnepr group is a leader in the sector of air transportation of oil & gas equipment. All in all the company has transported more than 23 tons of such equipment making over 320 flights to different regions of the world. The main clients for transportation of oil & gas equipment became: British Petroleum, Calgary Overseas, Canadian Oxy Offshore International, Exxon Mobile.

Extensive experience of oil & gas equipment transportation activities of Volga-Dnepr is the evidence of the fact that inclusion of An-124-100 Ruslan and Il-76 into logistic chains allows world leaders of oil & gas industry to speed-up the development of oil & gas fields and receive additional advantages over the competitors.

Enormous transportation capacities of Ruslan together with vast opportunities of the "work horse" of air cargo market - Il-76 plane - nowadays allow to transport most part of the existing oil and industrial equipment without dismantling, making logistics with the use of Volga-Dnepr Group aircraft rather perspective and highly demanding on the global market.