VOLGA-DNEPR DELIVERS ANTI-SARS MEDICAL EQUIPMENT TO CHINA

28 May 2003, Moscow Volga-Dnepr Airlines has today delivered an emergency shipment of medical equipment to fight the SARS virus from Nuremberg, Germany to Tientsin, China. The urgent shipment, chartered by Siemens Medical Solution, flown on an Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan consists of 8,000 special protective suits, blood cleaning devices, sterilisers, compressors for blood transfusion, pressure and thermal chambers, medical beds equipped with life support systems and other medical equipment to fight SARS. Total weight of the load is 98 tons. Despite a dense flight schedule, Volga-Dnepr found it possible to provide one of its Ruslans to carry out this important mission at very short notice.

In view of a real threat of SARS infection, unprecedented sanitary safety measures are being taken. All of the flight and technical crew members are volunteers and will wear individual biological protective suits while on the ground in China. Unloading time will be minimised and crew rest-time will be taken inside the aircraft, using the on-board, sleeping, cooking and washing facilities. On completing the flight, Captain Sitnik and his crew will enter medical quarantine for ten days under constant medical supervision.

The Volga-Dnepr Group participates regularly in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions all over the world. Since its foundation the company has implemented hundreds of unique humanitarian flights to various countries of the world, such as the former Yugoslavia, India, Sierra-Leone, Turkey, Philippines, Afghanistan and many others.

Volga-Dnepr Airlines is the leading company in the An-124-100 Ruslan heavyweight and outsized air cargo market. The company's fleet consists of nine An-124s, which comes to 45% of the world's An-124-100 fleet, with a tenth aircraft on order.

The Volga-Dnepr Group includes aviation, insurance, trucking and educational businesses. The Group's sub-divisions are situated in the UK, the USA, China, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and Russia. The Group's activity is aimed at promoting the An-124-100 in the international superheavy and outsize air cargo market.