VOLGA-DNEPR GROUP

The Volga-Dnepr Group of companies was formed and structured in 2001 as a result of strategic development plans aimed at promoting a unique range of outsize and heavyweight air cargo transportation services in the international market, using the world’s largest production aircraft, the outstanding Antonov AN-124-100 Ruslan freighter. Volga-Dnepr Group is a customer-orientated, dynamic and flexible group of companies with offices and subsidiaries around the world. Volga-Dnepr is a world leader in the operation of AN-124 cargo aircraft, supported by a highly professional team of international personnel and leading-edge management technologies.

Today, the Volga-Dnepr Group includes:

• Managing company (Moscow, Russia)
• Volga-Dnepr Airlines (Ulyanovsk, Russia)
• Volga-Dnepr UK Ltd. (Stansted, UK)
• Volga-Dnepr - Unique Air Cargo, Inc. (Houston, USA)
• Volga-Dnepr Ireland Ltd. (Shannon, Ireland)
• Volga-Dnepr Gulf Ltd. (Sharjah, UAE)
• Volga-Dnepr China (Beijing, China)
• Passenger airline (Ulyanovsk, Russia)
• NIK insurance company (Ulyanovsk, Russia)
• Volga-Trucks road transport company (Ulyanovsk, Russia)
• International teaching linguistic centre (Ulyanovsk, Russia)
• Volga-Dnepr-Leasing
• AirBridge Cargo

Managing company

Established in 2001, the Managing company’s function is to co-ordinate activities between all of the Group’s businesses, including:

• Planning and controlling the business development strategy for the Group
• Implementing unified management standards
• Consolidating and effectively using each company’s intellectual and financial resources
• Controlling the financial and operational activities of the companies and ensuring the economic security of the Group.

The Managing company is the core of the Group’s activities and is responsible for the co-ordination of all the companies’ activities, in accordance with corporate policy.

Volga-Dnepr Airlines

Volga-Dnepr Airlines was established in 1990 in Ulyanovsk, Russia. Today, it is the world leader in super heavy and outsized air cargo transportation, with a market share in excess of 50%. The airline currently operates 95% of its flights outside of Russian airspace. Volga-Dnepr is licensed to operate scheduled and charter flights to more than 100 countries and can therefore serve clients almost anywhere.

During the last 13 years, Volga-Dnepr has performed flights to more than 480 airports in 190 different countries.

From its inception, Volga-Dnepr Airlines has used the Russian AN-124-100 Ruslan freighter with its outstanding technical capabilities. It now operates the largest wholly owned AN-124-100 commercial cargo fleet. This unique aircraft is capable of carrying up to 120 tonnes of cargo and has a cabin volume of 1,000m3. Volga-Dnepr operates nine AN-124-100 freighters (43% of the world’s entire AN-124-100 fleet) and two Ilushin IL-76s.

The airline has continually invested to develop the aircraft’s operational and technical capabilities. Proprietary loading equipment designed by the airline's technical professionals means outsized cargo that until only a few years ago could be only shipped by sea or broken down into several outsize truck loads is now regularly transported by air between destinations all over the world in a matter of hours. Examples of regular Volga-Dnepr shipments include heavy engines, generators, oil and gas rigs, reactors, satellites, aircraft, helicopters, boats, yachts and all kinds of heavy and sensitive equipment.

Since 1992, Volga-Dnepr has been constantly participating in United Nations peacekeeping and humanitarian aid missions. In 1994, the airline was recognised as an official UN carrier and, a year later, was included in the UN register of major aviation services providers. Дополнительные параметрыНа главной:

Volga-Dnepr Airlines has a full Airline Operators’ Certificate ? from crew training and international flight operation to all types of aircraft maintenance. The company's maintenance standards are approved by the United States' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Volga-Dnepr Airlines is constantly working to ensure it meets all international aviation safety requirements and successfully completes regular inspections by the Russia Federal Service of Aviation Transport, FAA and CAA inspections. Volga-Dnepr has also received an award from the International Aviation Safety Fund in recognition of its safe operating record.

The airline is registered with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA).

Volga-Dnepr Airlines employs 1,300 highly qualified specialists in a variety of divisions to ensure operational excellence, value and the highest standards of work in all departments.

Volga-Dnepr's clients include such well-known companies as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Airbus Industrie, Alcatel, Astrium, Bombardier Shorts, British Petroleum, Exxon Mobile, British Aerospace and General Electric, Bedford Group, Ericsson Air Crane, Starsem as well as a number of governments, relief agencies and prominent international organisations from around the world.

The airline won the respected "Wings Of Russia" national award for Cargo Airline of the Year for three consecutive years and, in February 2001, received the prestigious ‘Air Cargo Development Award’ from Air Transport World magazine.

In February 2003, Volga-Dnepr was awarded with Aviation Week & Space Technology’s Aerospace Laurels-2002, in the Commercial Air Transport category. The award was presented to Alexey Isaikin, Volga-Dnepr’s President and the airline’s management team for “forming a truly international cargo carrier operating Antonov AN-124-100s, the world’s biggest freighters”. The award recognised that Volga-Dnepr is growing at a notable average of 10% annually and played an active role to support international anti-terrorist missions in 2002, operating 260 flights to Afghanistan, carrying peacekeeping forces’ equipment and humanitarian aid supplies. It also acknowledged that Volga-Dnepr has obtained access to international funding to expand its fleet.

AirBridge Cargo

To provide new opportunities to its customers and to launch new services within the Group, Volga-Dnepr Group has created AirBridge Cargo, the first Russian scheduled all-cargo airline operating between Asia and Europe. AirBridge performed its first flight in May 2004.

Volga-Dnepr UK, Ltd.

Volga-Dnepr UK Ltd., Volga-Dnepr’s subsidiary, was established at London’s Stansted Airport to co-ordinate the airline's activities in Europe, one of its most important markets. The company's staff includes experienced Russian and European professionals and managers in every department, including commercial, flight operations, planning, navigation, load planning, and financial departments to ensure complete client satisfaction. Today, Volga-Dnepr UK is a major marketing and sales centre for AN-124-100 services in the Group.

Volga-Dnepr - Unique Air Cargo, Inc.

Volga-Dnepr-Unique Air Cargo, Inc., Volga-Dnepr’s subsidiary, was established in December 2000 in Houston, Texas (USA), to manage the company’s activities in the North and South American markets, which currently generate some 30% of the airline’s total international volume.

Volga-Dnepr Ireland, Ltd.

Volga-Dnepr Ireland, Ltd. was established in 1998 in Shannon (Ireland) to perform AN-124-100 aircraft maintenance. The base employs a team of highly professional specialists and is outfitted with all necessary equipment to carry out the full schedule of AN-124-100 maintenance work.

In addition, Volga-Dnepr’s technical specialists carry out repairs to aircraft parts and distribute spare parts to airports all over the world, as well as providing maintenance, repair and operation of special-purpose loading equipment for outsized cargo transport.

Volga-Dnepr Gulf, Ltd.

Volga-Dnepr Gulf, Ltd. was established in Sharjah (UAE) in 1996. It has highly professional specialists and is equipped to perform the full cycle of Antonov AN-124, AN-12, AN-32, AN-26, Ilyushin IL-76 and Tupolev Tu-154 maintenance work. In addition to providing maintenance for Volga-Dnepr aircraft, the base offers third-party maintenance and repair for Russian and foreign airlines working in this region.

Volga-Dnepr China

Volga-Dnepr China was launched at the end of 1994 in Beijing. The company provides support for the airline’s scheduled, charter and transit flights and co-ordinates the Group’s activities in South-East Asia and China. The company has nominated air carrier rights to perform flights to China's main airports – Shanghai, Tyantszin, Shenyan, Shenjen, and Dalyan.

Volga-Dnepr-Leasing

The company has been established to organize work on modernisation and building of the first two IL-76TD-90VD aircraft and work on their further certification and putting into service.

Passenger airline

Volga-Dnepr’s passenger airline operates scheduled and charter flights transporting passengers, luggage, cargo and mail on board daily flights between Ulyanovsk, the airline's headquarters, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. In October 2003 the passenger airline launched scheduled flights between Moscow and Penza. In the near future, the airline plans to expand its scheduled and charter services in the region.

Operating a fleet of five, upgraded Yakovlev Yak-40 aircraft, the airline’s summer timetable includes scheduled and charter flights from Moscow and Ulyanovsk to the Russian and Ukrainian Black Sea coastal resorts.

The passenger airline is currently evaluating the replacement of the Yak-40 fleet, with a medium-range aircraft.

NIK insurance company

NIK was established in 1995 to provide insurance for high-risk ventures. It is now one of the top 20 largest and fastest-growing companies in aviation insurance. The majority of risks are re-insured by American International Group (AIG), one of the world's largest insurance companies. Re-insurance is carried out by the UK-based Willis Company, one of the world's leading insurance brokers.

NIK offers a full range of insurance services for Russian airlines, including insurance of responsibility, aircraft and crews. The company has also developed 14 non-aviation types of insurance. Volga-Dnepr Airlines is a major NIK client, insuring its fleet, estate, trucks and personnel.

Volga-Trucks Road Transport Company

Volga-Trucks began operating nine years ago to develop a road transportation operation to support the airline's growing business needs and offer Volga-Dnepr customers a wider range of logistical services. The company is a member of ASMAP, the Association of Road Transport Service Providers, and is a licensed bonded road transport service provider for the Russian Customs Service. It operates a fleet of 15 modern heavy goods vehicles, including seven western-built trucks.

In 2002, Volga-Trucks transported almost 30,000 tonnes of cargo throughout Russia, for a number of major international clients including Coca-Cola, Nestle and SladKo.

International Teaching Linguistic Centre

The International Teaching Linguistic Centre is certified by Russia's aviation authorities and has a license to offer secondary-education in foreign languages. The centre was opened in 1995 to teach airline aircrew members a second language. It also offers special foreign language teaching programmes for everyone who wishes to learn or to improve their level of an additional language, including special English courses for businessmen. Over 3,000 students have studied in the centre.