Russia’s largest cargo carrier, AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), is expanding its presence in the U.S. market with the launch of Boeing 747-8 freighter flights linking Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) with Amsterdam and Moscow. New twice-weekly all-cargo flights from Dallas/Fort Worth will operate on Mondays and Thursdays to Amsterdam Schiphol and Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airports. The airline, part of Volga-Dnepr Group, is also developing its current services to Chicago, introducing direct flights from Frankfurt. The new routes are part of AirBridgeCargo’s new summer schedule and commence on March 31, 2014. Denis Ilin, Executive President of AirBridgeCargo Airlines, says: “Chicago has been a very successful route for us since we commenced services on the route in 2012 and the extra B747F flight a week from O’Hare International Airport will provide welcome additional capacity for our customers. Expanding services in the U.S. market is a logical step in the airline’s development and means we can increase our ability to offer fast and efficient freight deliveries for customers doing business in North America, Europe, Asia and Russia.” ABC started performing flights to/from Chicago in 2012 thus becoming a truly worldwide airline with global coverage. Since then the airline has seen strong demand on this destination, especially in oil&gas industry which export has grown by 6%. ABC’s overall cargo tonnage to/from the North Americas has grown by 12% and 4% respectively. The USA has always been on ABC strategic radar screen and new Dallas/Fort Worth route as well as increased frequencies to/from Chicago will reinforce ABC’s position as a strong player on the global cargo market. We are pleased to welcome AirBridgeCargo freighter service to Dallas/Fort Worth,” said Luis E. Perez, vice president for air service development at DFW International Airport. “This new added service further demonstrates the strength of the Dallas/Fort Worth market and provides our region’s suppliers with additional lift to Europe and beyond.” AirBridgeCargo’s scheduled network covers major markets in Asia (China, Japan and Korea), Europe (the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) and North America (Chicago, Dallas). The airline’s fleet is one of the youngest in the industry and includes 12 Boeing747: four Boeing 747-400ERF, three B747-400F and five brand new Boeing 747-8F. The average fleet age is about 4 years. The airline provides industry specific transport solutions by air is capable of transporting any type of cargo, including shipments requiring special handling or a temperature-controlled environment.