Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Group restricts foreign operations

Volga-Dnepr Group has suspended the operation of its European hub at Liège airport, while a US airspace ban on the airline threatens to jeopardise Boeing’s production.

The hub was predominantly operated by Atran (V8, Moscow Vnukovo) with its B737-400(SF)s and has been dormant since February 27, 2022. The group’s Russian operator of Western-made freighters, AirBridgeCargo (RU, Ulyanovsk Vostochny), also operated its last flight from Liége on the same day. Volga-Dnepr Airlines (VI, Ulyanovsk Vostochny), whose fleet consists of An-124s and Il-76TD-90VDs, did not operate out of the Belgian hub.

While much of Volga-Dnepr Group’s operations have been brought to a halt by sweeping airspace restrictions on Russian carriers in western Europe and North America, the holding continues to operate services to Asia and the Middle East, as well as domestically. On March 3, one of Volga-Dnepr Airlines’ Il-76s flew from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Brno in Czechia, presumably on the basis of a special exception, to deliver nuclear fuel to a Slovakian power plant.

The group’s British affiliate, CargoLogicAir (P3, London Stansted), remains active and operates both of its aircraft – one B747-400(ERF) and one B747-400(FSCD) – to various European destinations, including London Heathrow, Frankfurt Int’l, Leipzig/Halle, and East Midlands, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows.

Bloomberg reported that the ban on Volga-Dnepr Airlines in US airspace is a major risk for Boeing, which relied on the Russian cargo specialist to transport B767 wings from Florida to Everett using its outsized An-124s. On February 24, the cargo specialist applied for an emergency exception to operate six one-way charters from either Fort Lauderdale Int’l or West Palm Beach Int’l to Boeing’s airports in Washington state between March 14 and April 4, arguing that it was the only option for the manufacturer to meet its production timelines.

“We work closely with our wide range of supply chain and logistics partners to manage through any potential impacts,” Boeing said.