Antonov airlines increases transportation of goods by 23% in 2016

March 29, 2017  (Interfax-Ukraine) Antonov Airlines (Kyiv), part of state enterprise Antonov, one of the leading global operators of heavy An-124-100 Ruslan aircraft with a cargo carrying capacity of 150 tonnes, in 2016 increased cargo transportation by 22.8% compared to 2015, to 21,463 tonnes, the Antonov press service has told Interfax-Ukraine. According to the press service, the number of flights carried out by the company in 2016 increased by 25.1%, to 448 flights, the time of flights in 2016 amounted to more than 4,600 hours.

The Antonov Airlines fleet now has seven An-124-100 Ruslan planes with a cargo capacity of 150 tonnes, an An-225 Mriya super transport aircraft with a capacity of 250 tonnes, a multi-purpose An-74T (10 tonnes) aircraft, An-22 Antei (60 tonnes), and An-26 (5.5 tonnes) aircraft. Since 2006, Antonov Airlines has been implementing a contract on strategic transportation within the NATO SALIS (Strategic Airlift Interim Solution) program in the interests of 18 alliance countries and the EU. In December 2014 the contract with Russia’s airline Volga-Dnepr was extended until the end of 2016. In autumn 2016 the Antonov Airlines management announced the plan to continue cooperation with NATO on the SALIS program after the completion of a joint contract with the Russian company. Within the framework of the new format of partnership, Leipzig remains the basic site of Ukrainian Ruslan aircraft.