Volga Dnepr Airlines deliver WFP loads to Afghanistan

Ulyanovsk, 26 November 2001 - More than fifty Volvo trucks perfect for the Afghan mountain roads were delivered by Volga Dnepr Airlines' An-124-100 aircraft from Tallinn (Estonia) to Ashkhabad (Turkmenistan).

The volume of an An-124-100 cargo bay allows the uplifting of eight such trucks. The trucks were driven into the aircraft under their own power in a matter of minutes due to the design of the aircraft's front and rear ramps that do not require any special loading equipment.

The trucks brought by Volga Dnepr are being loaded with food and sent to Mazar-e-Sharif and Kabul across the Termez river where thousands of starving refugees are waiting for them.

Volga Dnepr has also delivered a few jeeps and mobile kitchens to the region of a looming humanitarian disaster. This operation is being performed by the United Nations' World Food Program.

Russian Volga Dnepr Airlines have been delivering aid and relief loads on behalf of the UN since 1992. The airline had already had an experience of delivering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan - last year a Volga Dnepr Il-76 brought food and tents for refugee camps in Herat.

For further information, please contact Volga-Dnepr Airlines PR Department: