Volga-Dnepr Airlines is the world's largest transporter of outsize and heavyweight air cargo. The airline has earned a 56% share of the global market in this specialist sector. With Scheduled and Air Charter licenses granted to Volga-Dnepr by more than 140 countries, the airline continues to prove its ability to provide air cargo solutions for customers to and from virtually any point of the globe.

10 Antonov AN-124-100 Ruslan aircraft form the backbone of Volga-Dnepr's fleet. Owing to its unique technical performance, the AN-124-100 is the unrivaled leader of the outsize and 'super heavy' air cargo transportation sector.

The overall size and volume of the aircraft's cargo compartment, its cargo capacity and flight range, enables the AN-124 to provide the perfect solution for Volga-Dnepr's customers' transportation challenges and allows the airline to carry up to 120 tonnes as a single unit. The 24-wheel undercarriage of the Ruslan enables the nose section of the aircraft to “kneel down” as required to facilitate loading and off-loading operations. It also allows the aircraft to operate to a wider variety of airports and airfields with different types of runway surfaces.

Volga-Dnepr's AN-124 aircraft feature two cargo doors at the front and rear of the fuselage.

Each is equipped with a folding cargo ramp. The door dimensions correspond to the size of the cargo cabin. With its unique range of specially-designed loading equipment, Volga-Dnepr is able to transport outsize and 'super heavy' cargo within the required timeframes of its international customers and in the most efficient manner in full compliance with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

In anticipation of future market demand, the Volga-Dnepr Group initiated the design and construction of a new version of the aircraft, the АN-124-100М. This new aircraft offers an improved payload capacity up to 150 tonnes, increased maximum take-off weight, an extended flight range and has reduced the number of crew required to just four persons.

The first upgraded Ruslan, constructed at the "Aviastar" Factory in Ulyanovsk will join the Volga-Dnepr Airlines fleet at the end of 2006.

Aerospase industry operations

During its first 15 years of global operations, Volga- Dnepr has accumulated a vast amount of experience and expertise in transporting aviation equipment.

Volga-Dnepr provides logistics solutions for the world's leading aviation and aerospace corporations, including Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, BAE Systems, GE Aircraft Engines, Embraer, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce Commercial Aero Engines, Sikorsky Aircraft Company, Kazan Helikopter Factory, Rostvertol, MIL DB, Kamov DB, Space Systems Loral, Lockheed Martin, Astrium, Alenia, Alcatel, Khrunichev Research Center, NPO Energiya and the defense forces of countries around the world.

The unique capabilities of the AN-124-100 aircraft and the special cargo handling equipment designed and manufactured by Volga-Dnepr's engineers allow the airline to transport space vehicles and equipment without the need to disassemble the shipments or to do any other additional preparation.

Volga-Dnepr is a leading transporter of helicopters. Loading programs designed by the airline, for example, allow the AN-124-100 to accommodate and deliver up to four helicopters of MI-8 size per flight. In addition to its proven cargo handling methods and solutions, Volga-Dnepr has also demonstrated its ability to design bespoke loading systems to suit individual customers' requirements.

• October 11, 2004: Volga-Dnepr delivered four MI-8 helicopters belonging to the Russian company, YutAir, to Africa to provide transportation for a United Nations mission in Sierra Leone. With a total weight of 40 tonnes, the four helicopters were delivered from Tyumen to Freetown in Sierra Leone, a distance of approximately 10,000 km. To carry the helicopters (each 13 meters in length and 4.3 meters high), Volga-Dnepr used specially-designed handling methods that had been successfully tested in many previous operations.
• August 2003: Three Be-103 aircraft and 10 tonnes of supplementary equipment were carried from Komsomolskna- Amure to Oshkosh Airport in the USA to participate in the Airventure 2003 airshow. The flight of over 10,000 km was performed with one refueling stop in Anchorage (USA) on behalf of Aviation Corporation ‘Komsomolsk-na-Amure’. With each Be-103 amphibious aircraft measuring 10.6m in length, 3.7 m high and with a wingspan of 12.7 m, the airline used self-designed handling methods and special accessories to meet this particular logistics challenge.

Oil & Gas and industrial equipment

With over 15 years experience of its presence in the global oversize and heavy cargo market Volga-Dnepr Airlines has operated over 1,600 flights for the oil & gas sector delivering more than 130 thousand tons of industrial machinery and equipment to various destinations worldwide. Where initially transportation of bulky and non-standard equipment took months of precious time, now commercially operated Antonov 124- 100 aircraft have made such deliveries efficient and quick allowing the industry to significantly speed up oil & gas exploration and production thereby gaining additional advantages over competitors.

The list of Volga-Dnepr's oil & gas customers includes many large global companies, such as Exxon Mobile, Chevron Texaco, Calgary Overseas, Canadian Oxy Offshore International and British Petroleum. No other charter operator in the world can offer such experience and expertise in transportation of heavy oil & gas equipment.

• January 2004: Volga-Dnepr carried an 82 tonnes stainless steel vessel with foal glass lining for an oil and gas customer from Calgary in Canada to Pittsburg, USA. The most specific feature of this operation was the size of the vessel; more than 17 meters long, 3.3m wide and 3.5m high.
• October 2004: A 118 tonnes shipment of oil processing equipment was delivered on a single Volga-Dnepr flight to Oman from Venice in Italy. Four oil valves each weighing nearly 30 tonnes were carried to Muscat for Aircargo Italia – Firenze H.Q. and EGL Eagle Global Logistics.
• September 2005. Two giant mining excavators were delivered from Dьsseldorf, Germany to Neryungri, Russia. The excavators, each weighing 720 tonnes, were partially disassembled to allow their transportation to the destination in Yuakutia, Eastern Siberia. The first two AN-124- 100 flights each carried three single-piece units of cargo totaling 210 tons. The next two flights delivered 38-ton excavator shovels and the remaining large cargo parts.

Automative vehicles

Volga-Dnepr has specific expertise in the transportation of automobile vehicles.

Vehicles carried by the airline have ranged from hundreds of jeeps assigned to UN peacekeeping forces and various non-governmental agencies to motorcades of Heads of State. Volga-Dnepr aircraft have transported Volkswagen cars for testing in low temperature conditions, delivered Peugeot cars from France to Morocco and the newest models of Mercedes cars to the USA to film a new advertising campaign.

The special double deck loading and transport system designed and patented by Volga-Dnepr allows the AN- 124-100 to transport up to 55 cars or 40 jeeps on a single flight, depending on characteristics of the vehicles. Loading does not require any additional equipment as cars are simply able to board the aircraft by their own power.

Some of the most notable vehicle movements successfully completed by Volga-Dnepr have included cars for international motor rallies, including London- Sydney (1993), London-Mexico (1994), the Master Rally (1996,1997), ‘80 Days Around the World’ (2000), ‘Gumball-3000’, London-Sydney (2000), and the ‘Towards 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg’ rally.

The airline has a rich history of carrying heavy wheel and caterpillar dual purpose vehicles. In particular, Volga- Dnepr has performed many series of flight operations transporting:

• Quarry caterpillar vehicles for the Diamonds of Russia company
• Heavy wheel vehicles for UN forces
• Mining equipment

A combination of the unique capability of the AN-124-100 and the professionalism of Volga-Dnepr’s staff allows the airline to carry out loading and unloading of caterpillar and heavy wheel vehicles without the need for any additional equipment as vehicles enter the aircraft by their own power.

The list of vehicles transported by Volga-Dnepr Airlines is not limited by cars and heavy machinery only. The company is a well-recognized expert in carrying a wide range of other transport types, including subway carriages, yachts and even submarines.

• 1997 – 'Silk Cat' oceanic yacht delivered from Australia to Great Britain.
• 1998 – three linked-up subway carriages, 37.5 meters in length weighing 53 tonnes, delivered from the Czech Republic to Philippines. Volga-Dnepr applied specially constructed guiding rails to load the train aboard.
• 2002 – two subway carriages, 31.2 meters in length weighing 56 tonnes, delivered from Germany to the USA.
• August 1995 – 'Fly Feretti' yacht, 17 meters in length weighing 27 tonnes, delivered from Italy to Uzbekistan.
• May 2003 – a single AN-124-100 flight delivered a squadron of high-speed sea boats intended for coast patrol of the Arabian Peninsula from England to Yemen.

Aid, Relief & Peacekeeping operations

Volga-Dnepr is always ready to provide transportation support when urgent assistance is needed for aid, relief and peacekeeping operations.

Volga-Dnepr has worked on behalf of the United Nations since 1992 and has been involved in every UN peacekeeping operation since then.

The Group’s AN-124-100 Ruslan and Ilyushin IL-76 cargo aircraft have participated in UN peacekeeping missions in the Republic of Congo, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Rwanda and East Timor delivering equipment and other urgently-needed supplies for peacekeeping forces stationed in these locations.

Cars and caterpillar vehicles, tents and warm cloths, medicines and general forces equipment have been regular shipments onboard Volga-Dnepr’s fleet.

In 1994, Volga-Dnepr was entered in the register of principal suppliers to the United Nations and has since operated hundreds of flights for the UN, carrying thousands of tonnes of cargo. In 2000, Volga-Dnepr became the largest Russian supplier of transportation services to the UN. The airline is also a regular humanitarian services provider for the governmental agencies of many countries around the world.

• September 2004: Volga-Dnepr undertook a major humanitarian aid delivery contract to Khartoum, Sudan. The operation was ordered by one of the biggest international aid organizations, the International Red Cross Committee. This was one of the biggest projects ever performed by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent in Sudan within the humanitarian mission. During the period between August 24 and September 6 one AN-124-100 successfully completed eight flights: six from Geneva in Switzerland and two from Nairobi, Kenya, delivering some 800 tonnes of aid and relief cargoes. The consignments included ambulances, medicines, food and clothes to be used by the Red Cross Committee of Sudan to provide help and assistance to those who suffered from hostilities in this African country.
• December 2003: 11 pallets of Christmas gifts were delivered by Volga-Dnepr to the children of Afghanistan as a part of the annual Operation Christmas Child mission coordinated by the Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian organization.
• January 2005 Volga-Dnepr Group took an active part in the delivery of humanitarian aid to South East Asia countries that suffered following the tsunami. The first flight into the disaster area was operated on January 3, 2005. The humanitarian mission continued for five months and was completed in May 2005. Volga-Dnepr operated 21 flights and carried 1,230 tonnes of cargo, such as mobile hospitals, medical supplies, nutrition, helicopters, boats etc.
• August 2005 Volga-Dnepr Airlines operated a series of aid & relief flights to the US South Coast for people suffering from Hurricane Katrina. The first inquiry for transportation came from the UK Government on August 27. On the next day Volga-Dnepr's AN-124-100 arrived to Brize Norton AB to pick up cargo. In the course of this humanitarian mission Volga-Dnepr operated a total of eight flights to the United States delivering food, medicines, life essentials, temporary shelters and sanitation items to disaster areas.
• October 2005 Volga-Dnepr Group participated in the relief mission to deliver humanitarian aid to Pakistan. On October 8 an earthquake measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale shattered and seriously damaged densely populated settlements north of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. From October 14 to November 24 AN-124-100s operated by Volga-Dnepr Airlines completed 23 flights to disaster areas delivering 1,390 tonnes of cargo, such as mobile hospitals, temporary tents, medical supplies and other equipment.

New loading equipment extends fleet capability

Volga-Dnepr Airlines has designed, patented and maintains operation of the following handling equipment:

• Single-unit loading complex for payloads weighing up to 120 tonnes;
• No-crane loading complex for payloads of up to 120 tonnes in weight;
• Loading complex for low weight but volumetric consignments (usually aerospace equipment);
• Super size trucks transportation system;
• Transportation system for accommodating up to 55 cars on board an AN-124-100;
• Mini van and jeeps transportation system for accommodating up to 40-45 vehicles;
• Onboard cranes with 30 tonnes lifting capacity;
• Single-unit loading complex for payloads up to 45 tonnes by weight for IL-76TD aircraft;

When combined with the unique capabilities of the АN-124-100 aircraft, Volga-Dnepr’s full range of loading equipment enables the airline to provide customers with a diverse choice of transportation solutions for outsize and heavy cargo of up to 120 tonnes in weight (in exceptional cases even heavier payloads may be carried) with dimensions up to 6.3 х 4.2 х 36m, such as:

• Industrial, oil-and-gas, building and transport equipment: machine tools, towers, chemical reactors, hydraulic turbines, motor boats and yachts; industrial lines, etc.
• Units and items of aerospace equipment, including fuselage sections, wings, boosters and rockets in assembly, satellites, etc.
• Automobile and caterpillar vehicles: cars, jeeps, buses, trucks, quarry dumpers etc.
• All kinds of other general packaged and bulk consignments

The carriage of heavyweight and volumetric single-unit cargoes represents a complicated engineering task. Volga-Dnepr is able to support customers facing these logistics challenges by providing:

• design and coordination of the required technical
• specifications for the carriage of all types of cargo
• development of the engineering documentation
• manufacture of special cargo handling equipment if required
• all necessary arrangements to accomplish the cargo handling operations