Volga-Dnepr denies China-Russia flights carrying military cargo

Russian carrier Volga-Dnepr denies carrying military-related cargo from China to Russia amid speculation that an airbridge set up between the two countries, operated by Volga-Dnepr’s An-124s and Il-76 freighters, is being used for military purposes. The Russian carrier could be transporting military cargo or equipment, parts and components that may be used in the assembly of weapons or machinery, claims a report by Ukrainian media and Ukraine-based consultancy Defense Express. Volga-Dnepr denies the claims, saying the cargo transported includes mostly consumer goods such as electronics, garments and toys. Since 2018, Volga-Dnepr has followed a policy of refusing to transport military cargo, the carrier added. “Amid the current high cargo season and market demand, Volga-Dnepr has increased the number of flights ex-China to Russia, introducing additional An-124 capacity to complement its existing Il-76 flights,” a spokesperson for Volga-Dnepr told Air Cargo World . Barred in the US, Europe [caption id="attachment_98389" align="alignright" width="366"] Volga-Dnepr Airlines AN-124 and Il-76 aircraft at Leipzig Halle Airport (LEJ). Photo/Volga-Dnepr Group[/caption] Volga-Dnepr and subsidiaries AirBridgeCargo and Atran have been barred from operating in major air cargo markets, such as Europe and the U.S., following sanctions imposed on Russia following its February attack on Ukraine. Meanwhile, China-Russia trade volumes have increased 25% and will total around $160 billion by the end of the year, the carrier said. Of Volga-Dnepr’s aircraft, three of its four An-124 freighters flew to Zhengzhou (CGO) from Novosibirsk (OVB) in November, according to flight radar data analyzed by Air Cargo World . Additionally, three of the carrier’s Il-76 freighters made trips to China’s Shenzhen (SZX) airport from Barnaul Airport (BAX) in November. Some flight data was not available on Il-76 flights by freighters RD-76952, RA-76951 and RA-76511 to and from BAX. While the report noted it was unlikely that ready-to-use weapons were being transported by Volga-Dnepr aircraft, it speculated that the freighters could be carrying commodities such as machine tools and micro-circuits whose use could be redirected from the manufacture of household appliances — like washing machines — to weapons production, due to supply shortages as a result of sanctions on Russia. Carrier may be responding to holiday demand surge Volga-Dnepr is likely using the larger planes because none made by manufacturers Boeing and Airbus are on hand, Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association (AFA), told Air Cargo World . “A lot of [Volga-Dnepr’s] passenger flights have been curtailed,” Fried said. “There are not a lot of countries that will service those planes; a lot of those are Western planes that they bought from Boeing and Airbus. So, that could probably be all they have to move product at this point.” The carrier is likely responding to domestic demand for products during the holiday season, he added. “There are a lot of industries that Russia is going to have to resurrect within the country domestically, because they can't depend on a lot of countries they were trading with,” Fried noted. “It could be that they're simply purchasing machinery [and] manufacturing supplies. Those planes are big enough to haul it back.” The flights are operated in compliance with [The International Civil Aviation Organization] standards, local regulations and Aviation Code of the Russian Federation, Volga-Dnepr noted. “Due to aircraft technical capabilities, the flights from China or elsewhere in Asia or the Middle East are operated with tech stops in Novosibirsk or Krasnoyarsk in Russia,” the carrier said. Apart from China, Volga-Dnepr is also operating flights from India and UAE, according to the carrier.

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