AirBridgeCargo significant boost for Russia

RUSSIA’s growing importance in global air cargo, will provide a significant boost to the development of the country’s cargo aircraft market.

Addressing the Russia & CIS Aircraft Conference, Denis Ilyin (right), senior vice-president for strategy and commercial at AirBridgeCargo Airlines, said: “Despite a certain decrease in the passenger air market, global air cargo is constantly developing and average annual growth up to 2025 is forecast at between 5.4 per cent and 7.1 per cent. Russia can and will benefit strongly from this. Airfreight growth in Russia over the next 17 years is forecast to be greater than that for North America, Europe-Middle East, Intra-Europe, Europe-Africa, Europe-North America, Latin America-Europe and Latin America-North America.”

The development of Russian hubs in Moscow and Krasnoyarsk will greatly support Russia’s air cargo development. Moscow is a natural hub connecting Europe to the Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, while Krasnoyarsk in the Russian Far East sits in the centre of major trade lanes that connect the USA, Europe and Canada to China, Japan and Southeast Asia, via cross-polar and trans-Siberian routes.

According to Ilyin’s prognosis, Russia’s role in global air logistics will increase from its present 1.4 per cent share of the total US$80 billion global market to eight per cent in 2015 and 16 per cent in 2030 worth an estimated $8.4 billion and $25.6 billion respectively.

Cargo carried on ramp aircraft is forecast to grow at a faster rate than non-ramp aircraft. This will create many new opportunities for the Russian cargo aircraft market.

According to Ilyin, Russian cargo airlines’ share of both scheduled and charter market using ramp aircraft, is set for further rapid growth. The 1.4 per cent share of scheduled cargo carried by Russian carriers will grow to 10 per cent by 2020. Russia’s already dominant position in the $1 billion ramp aircraft operations market will increase from the current 74 per cent market share to 90 per cent in 12 years time.

“The Russian economy has been growing steadily in recent years, creating a base for the very challenging and ambitious goals of the Russian air cargo industry in the next decade. In order to turn these plans into reality, there will be more and more freighters flying to, from and via Russia, operated by both Russian and foreign airlines.”

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