Volga-Dnepr Airlines will deliver the "Baikal" reusable booster of the Khrunichev Center to Le Bourget Airport as a part of the Russian aerospace exposition at the Paris Air Show.

Moscow (Russia), June 03, 2001. - Volga-Dnepr Airlines, the world leader in the market of super heavy and oversize air cargo operations, has operated the flight to move the "Baikal" reusable booster-spacecraft, a new development of the Khrunichev Center, to the Le Bourget Airport (Paris, France) as a part of the world's largest aerospace exposition, taking place in Paris from June 17 to June 24, 2001.

The "Baikal" delivery was accomplished in the framework of a special partnership program between Volga-Dnepr Airlines and the State Scientific&Production Center named after Khrunichev, providing for rendering of a unified logistics service on delivery and launching of satellites into orbit.

"I am delighted that the delivery of our new development, the reusable booster of the "Baikal" first stage, is accomplished by our good and reliable partner, Volga-Dnepr Airlines", - stated Alexander Medvedev, Director General of the Khrunichev Center, - "The unique capabilities of the An-124-100 "Ruslan" aircraft, operated by Volga-Dnepr Airlines, make it possible to move to any point of the Globe such outsize cargoes as in-orbit satellites and rocket-carriers, saving time and costs of the customer".

The loading of the reusable booster was carried out with the help of special equipment, developed by the engineering department experts of Volga-Dnepr Airlines, a leading Russian air company in the field of development and application of new and advanced technology of utilization of the An-124-100, the only aircraft in operation today, offering the unsurpassed lifting capacity. Volga-Dnepr Airlines holds five patents for special design rigging: four granted as invention patens and one patent granted for an industrial standard. Cargo handling technologies, utilized by the Company, considerably expedite cargo-handling operations, and enable the Company to operate cargo flights into airports with undeveloped infrastructure.

"Today's operation presents a graphic example of effective cooperation between two Russian Hi-Tech companies, taking a lead in development of advanced technologies and equipment", - said Alexei Isaikin, Director General of Volga-Dnepr Airlines, - "We combined experience and capabilities of our companies to provide the unique logistics service on delivery and launching of the satellite into orbit. The efficiency and serviceability of this technology results in a rising number of the world's major aerospace corporations, integrating this unique technology into their logistic chains".

The reusable booster "Baikal", 28,5 m. long and 8,5 m. high, represents a jet cruise missile recoverable so that it can return to its launch site without an intermediate landing, thus substantially saving the costs of launching a pay load into space and eliminating drop-down fields requirements.

Volga-Dnepr Airlines has acquired more than ten years of experience in operating "space-cargo" flights to all space-vehicle launching sites of the world. At present, each third satellite in the world is brought to its launching site by the Volga-Dnepr cargo aircraft. Based on the results of 2000, the "aerospace cargoes" have constituted 30% of the overall cargo traffic flow of the Company.

Volga-Dnepr Airlines, established in 1990, is the leading service provider in the market of super heavy and oversize air cargo, operating the fleet of nine (9) An-124-100 heavy lifters, or 43% of the total An-124-100 aircraft world's fleet.

The customers of Volga-Dnepr Airlines range from such important players of the world economy as General Electric, British Petroleum, Boeing, Hughes to state governments and international organizations.

For the three running years (1997, 1998, 1999), Volga-Dnepr Airlines was awarded the "Wings of Russia" national prize in the "International and domestic air cargo operator" nomination. In February 2001, in the nomination of "For Development of Air Cargo Operations", Volga-Dnepr Airlines was awarded the prestigious prize of "Air Transport World" Magazine, one of the most popular mouthpieces of the industry.

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