Starting on September 5th in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, Russia, the 2009 Rally attracted competitors from 34 countries driving 62 cars and 21 trucks. Part of the Dakar Series, the event is the result of a joint agreement by the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
In total, the airline transported four trucks and 14 jeeps for international rally teams. As part of its involvement, Volga-Dnepr also provided flight dispatch and support services for the rally's joint flight detachment of 13 aircraft, notably AN-74, AN-74-200, AN-26B, two AN-24, two Cessna-182, as well as Mi-8P, Mi-8T, AS-355N and three AS-350B3 helicopters.
The vehicles were loaded onto Volga-Dnepr's giant AN-124-100 freighter in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan for the flight back to Leipzig.
"We are delighted to be providing logistics support for such a major event. Our AN-124 freighter fleet is regularly used to transport motor vehicles all over the world, including rally cars for such international events as the Master Rallye," noted Valery Gabriel, Executive President of Volga-Dnepr Airlines.
