AirBridgeCargo Airlines
"Авиакомпания "ЭйрБриджКарго"
IATA ICAO Callsign
RU ABW AIRBRIDGECARGO
Founded2003 (2003)
Ceased operationsMarch 2022 (suspended)[1]
Hubs
Fleet size16
Destinations37[2]
Parent companyVolga-Dnepr Group
HeadquartersMoscow, Russia
Employeesmore than 1300
Websiteairbridgecargo.com

AirBridgeCargo Airlines, LLC (Russian: ООО Авиакомпания «ЭйрБриджКарго»), part of Volga-Dnepr Group, is the largest Russian cargo airline with its head office in Moscow. It operates scheduled cargo services on routes between Russia, Asia, Europe and North America, covering more than 30 destinations worldwide. All flights connect to their hub at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow and Krasnoyarsk. It was forced to suspend all operations in the wake of sanctions against Russia as of March 2022.[1]

History

The company entered the scheduled cargo market on 1 April 2004, when the first AirBridgeCargo branded Boeing 747 made its inaugural commercial flight on route from Beijing to Luxembourg.

As of March 2022, AirBridgeCargo was forced to suspend all operations due to sanctions against Russia which rendered the entire fleet unusable.[1] In July 2022, the airline announced it will comply with sanctions and prepare to return 14 leased aircraft - which make out the majority of its fleet - to its lessors.[3]

In March 2023, it became known that the company plans to resume flights using Il-96 aircraft. Volga-Dnepr has already begun searching for pilots with appropriate training.[4]

Destinations

Prior to the suspension of all services, ABC had been present in Asia, Europe and North America. It operates a scheduled freighter route network of 37 destinations as of November 2019 focused on Europe, Asia and the United States.[2]

Country City Airport Notes
BelgiumLiègeLiège AirportSuspended
ChinaBeijingBeijing Capital International Airport
ShanghaiShanghai Pudong International AirportSuspended
ShenzhenShenzhen Bao'an International AirportTerminated
ZhengzhouZhengzhou Xinzheng International AirportSuspended
GermanyFrankfurtFrankfurt Airport
LeipzigLeipzig/Halle AirportSuspended
Hong KongChek Lap KokHong Kong International AirportSuspended
IndonesiaJakartaSoekarno–Hatta International Airport
ItalyMilanMilan Malpensa AirportTerminated
JapanTokyoNarita International AirportSuspended
KazakhstanKaragandaSary-Arka Airport
NetherlandsAmsterdamAmsterdam Airport SchipholSuspended
NorwayOsloOslo AirportTerminated
RussiaEkaterinburgKoltsovo International AirportTerminated
KazanKazan International AirportTerminated
KrasnoyarskKrasnoyarsk International AirportHub
MoscowMoscow Domodedovo Airport
Sheremetyevo International AirportHub
SingaporeSingaporeChangi AirportTerminated
South KoreaSeoulIncheon International AirportSuspended
SpainMadridAdolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas AirportTerminated
ZaragozaZaragoza AirportSuspended
United Arab EmiratesDubaiDubai International AirportTerminated
United KingdomLondonHeathrow AirportTerminated
United StatesAnchorageTed Stevens Anchorage International AirportSuspended
AtlantaHartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International AirportTerminated
ChicagoO'Hare International AirportSuspended

Fleet

Current fleet

AirBridgeCargo Boeing 747-8F

As of December 2022, the AirBridgeCargo fleet consists of the following aircraft:[5]

AirBridgeCargo Fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Notes
Boeing 747-400ERF 3 —
Boeing 747-8F 12 —
Boeing 777F 1 — [6]
Ilyushin Il-96 — 2 —
Total 16 2 —

Former fleet

A now retired former AirBridgeCargo Boeing 747-200F

AirBridgeCargo formerly operated the following aircraft:

AirBridgeCargo Fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Boeing 737-400SF 1 2015 2017 Transferred to ATRAN
Boeing 747-200F 4 2004 2012
Boeing 747-200SF 1 2004 2008 Transferred to Southern Air
Boeing 747-300SF 1 2005 2012
Boeing 747-400F 3 2010 2020

Accidents and incidents

  • On September 11, 2012, an AirBridgeCargo Boeing 747-8F experienced a major engine malfunction that spread a significant amount of metallic debris on the runway. Like in a similar event during pre-flight taxi tests, the low pressure turbine shaft separated and moved the low pressure turbine (by design to avoid turbine overspeed) backwards braking on surrounding hardware.[7]
  • On July 31, 2013, an AirBridgeCargo Boeing 747-8F experienced core engine icing that caused engine malfunctions and damage to three engines near Chengdu, China, while en route to Hong Kong; the aircraft landed safely at its destination. Boeing and General Electric are working on software changes to mitigate the effects of core engine icing.[8][9][10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 aircargonews.net - VDG confirms suspension of AirBridgeCargo and Atran operations 21 March 2022
  2. 1 2 airbridgecargo.com - Our network retrieved 27 February 2021
  3. ↑ aircargonews.net - AirBridgeCargo applies to return freighters to lessors 1 July 2022
  4. ↑ "Крупнейшая грузовая компания России возобновит полеты после года простоя". rbc.ru (in Russian). 2023-03-28.
  5. ↑ "AirBridgeCargo Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  6. ↑ Derrick, Emily (6 August 2020). "Volga-Dnepr Takes Delivery Of Its First 777F Despite Order Dispute". Simple Flying. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  7. ↑ Simon Hradecky. "Incident: Air Bridge Cargo B748 at Shanghai on Sep 11th 2012, rejected takeoff".
  8. ↑ Guy Norris (September 2, 2013). "Core Engine Icing Strikes Russian 747-8F". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  9. ↑ Simon Hradecky (n.d.). "Incident: Air Bridhe Cargo B748 near Hong Kong on Jul 31st 2013, both left hand engines surged at same time, one right hand engine damaged too". Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  10. ↑ Polina Borodina (n.d.). "Russia to investigate AirBridgeCargo 747-8F engine incident with Boeing, GE". Retrieved September 2, 2013.
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