AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), Volga-Dnepr Group's scheduled cargo airline, has launched a charter Boeing 747 freighter service to Kabul, Afghanistan.

The first flight operated on July 14th. From now on, ABC will operate every Tuesday using Boeing 747-200/300 cargo aircraft. The flight will arrive early on Wednesday mornings in Afghanistan and offers some 100 tons of capacity. The city will be used as a connection to ABC's existing network.

The first flight carried armoured vehicles that were offloaded on arrival by Ariana, the local handling agent in Kabul.

Dennis Gliznoutsa, Volga-Dnepr's Group Commercial Director (Charters), stated: 'Despite the fact that volumes are down worldwide, the Middle East is still a vast and attractive marketplace for the Group. During these unpredictable times, we believe operating from Europe to Kabul will provide new opportunities for ABC.'

According to Tatyana Arslanova, ABC's Executive Senior Vice President, Strategy, Marketing and Sales, 'The expansion of ABC's network to the Middle East is another example of our flexibility in following customers' needs.'

She added that the route provided a good example of the synergy between Volga-Dnepr Airlines and AirBridgeCargo. Volga-Dnepr has successfully performed AN-124 and IL-76 charter operations to Afghanistan for the past 10 years.