September 16 - Outsize and heavyweight air cargo specialist, Volga-Dnepr Airlines, is to open its own sales office in Japan reflecting the country's importance and strong growth in demand for its services.

Dennis Gliznoutsa, group commercial director (Charters) for Volga-Dnepr, said: "Japan has always been an extremely important market for us and is responsible for between 10-18 per cent of our revenues.

"As part of the development of our 'Cargo Supermarket' marketing concept - which incorporates scheduledBoeing 747F services to and from Japan by our sister airline, AirBridgeCargo - we are always looking at new opportunities and niche markets, particularly in regions where we have experienced strong growth."