Another Air Freight Cargo Carrier Opts for Boeing

US – RUSSIA – Moscow headquartered AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), part of Volga-Dnepr Group, took delivery yesterday of the first of five new Boeing 747-8 Freighters becoming one of a growing list of leading cargo carriers to invest in Boeing’s latest freight aeroplane. Previous purchasers in the past few months include Etihad’s Crystal Cargo, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air and Atlas Air Worldwide which operates for British Airways.

The extended length of the aircraft seems to be the major plus point for the newest 747 which at 76.3 metres exceeds it predecessor by over five and a half metres giving an extra 16% freight carrying capacity. This volume translates to four additional main-deck pallets and three additional lower-hold pallets and plainly impressed Tatyana Arslanova, executive president of AirBridgeCargo Airlines who said:

“We have a firm belief that our established and new customers will greatly benefit from the additional features the airplane will provide such as enhanced payload. With the introduction of the Boeing 747-8F, we’ll have the youngest freighter fleet in the industry while maintaining the highest standards of environmental compliance. The introduction of the Boeing 747-8F represents a huge commitment to our customers since we are investing in state of the art equipment to further expand our network.”

Boeing are clearly pleased with the way sales of the new plane are going and Marty Bentrott, vice president of Sales for Russia, Central Asia and Middle East, Boeing Commercial Airplanes commented:

"ABC is a valued customer of Boeing that has built a very successful cargo business with the help of eleven 747 Freighters and we’re confident ABC will maintain its impressive rate of growth, supported by the new fleet of Boeing 747-8 Freighters."