Volga-Dnepr Group and Mitteldeutsche Flughafen (MFAG) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand their partnership at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany.

Signed at the 53rd International Paris Air Show currently taking place at Le Bourget, Volga-Dnepr and MFAG will work together to develop cargo infrastructure at Leipzig. Investments of up to EUR500 million (USD560.3 million) are planned for the next few years, with as many as 500 jobs expected to be created.

Volga-Dnepr Airlines and sister carrier AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) will operate both charter and scheduled operations to and from Leipzig/Halle Airport. The group’s Boeing freighter fleet will serve Leipzig up to 20 times a week from the end of 2021, gradually increasing this frequency to 50 weekly flights to and from the German gateway by 2030.

Konstantin Vekshin, executive president, charter cargo operations at Volga-Dnepr, said: “We have been striving to set up and develop effective system of regional hubs throughout the world to secure timely response to our customers’ requirements, specifically, given a recent trend involving greater share and volumes of special loads.

“Nearly three decades of our experience, bolstered by knowledge and expertise, will serve as a guarantee for the transformation of Leipzig airport into a vertically integrated multimodal hub,” he said.

Götz Ahmelmann, MFAG ceo, added: “Our strategy for Leipzig/Halle is clear. There are capacity bottlenecks in air traffic across Europe. We have the capacity reserves that are urgently required. We’re delighted that the Volga-Dnepr Group, one of our most important partners, is now taking the next step in its development.”

www.volga-dnepr.com

www.mdf-ag.com