AirBridge adds Liege as a European freighter hub

AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has introduced new freighter calls at Liege airport, flights that are understood to be shifting from slot-constrained Amsterdam Schiphol airport, as earlier reported by Air Cargo News.
Starting with its winter schedule, ABC will "gradually increase its cargo capacity up to 12 flights per week," said the Russian all-cargo carrier in a statement.
Sergey Lazarev, general director of ABC, said: “We have a long history of cooperation with Liege airport via Atran Airlines (part of Volga-Dnepr Group) and now are targeting to bring our partnership to a new level.
"With significant improvement of our inland options and building of mutually-beneficial collaboration with our trucking partners, we are optimistic about ABC’s future in Liege and the benefits it will bring to our customers.”
Luc Partoune, chief executive of Liege Airport, said: “It is our pleasure to welcome AirBridgeCargo to our airport with services 100% adapted to the needs of the European cargo market. Advantageous geographical location, technical equipment and motorway accessibility make our airport an ideal cargo point.
"Our Liege air cargo community embraces supply chain stakeholders – carriers, handling providers, trucking companies, etc — and offers a pool of experience for all the parties involved. We foresee ABC growth and are ready to contribute to its smooth operations.” 
The statement from ABC does not mention current hub Amsterdam Schiphol, but does stress that "Liege is an excellent example of a cargo-friendly airport in every aspect of its daily operations".
Industry sources told Air Cargo News that the ABC move is linked to flight slot constraints at Amsterdam, which has been forced to axe up to 37 freighter flights per week.
With the introduction of Liege, ABC will bring the total number of its European destinations to 13, guaranteeing comprehensive and sophisticated coverage of this multinational region.