| Airline: | AirBridgeCargo Airlines "Авиакомпания "ЭйрБриджКарго" |
| Iata: | RU |
| Icao: | ABW |
| Callsign: | AIRBRIDGECARGO |
| Parent: | Volga-Dnepr Group |
| Ceased: | March 2022 (suspended) |
| Headquarters: | Moscow, Russia |
| Hubs: | |
| Fleet Size: | - |
| Destinations: | 37 |
| Website: | airbridgecargo.com |
| Num Employees: | more than 1300 |
AirBridgeCargo Airlines, LLC (Russian: ООО Авиакомпания «ЭйрБриджКарго»), part of Volga-Dnepr Group, is the largest Russian cargo airline with its head office in Moscow. It operates scheduled cargo services on routes between Russia, Asia, Europe and North America, covering more than 30 destinations worldwide. All flights connect to their hub at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow and Krasnoyarsk. It was forced to suspend all operations in the wake of sanctions against Russia as of March 2022.
The company entered the scheduled cargo market on 1 April 2004, when the first AirBridgeCargo branded Boeing 747 made its inaugural commercial flight on route from Beijing to Luxembourg.
As of March 2022, AirBridgeCargo was forced to suspend all operations due to sanctions against Russia which rendered the entire fleet unusable.[1] In July 2022, the airline announced it will comply with sanctions and prepare to return 14 leased aircraft - which make out the majority of its fleet - to its lessors.[2]
In March 2023, it became known that the company planned to resume flights using Ilyushin Il-96 aircraft. Volga-Dnepr has already begun searching for pilots with appropriate training.[3] However, by late 2023 these plans were abandoned with two Il-96 formerly stored and already prepared for AirBridgeCargo being delivered to Sky Gates Airlines instead.[4]
Prior to the suspension of all services, ABC had been present in Asia, Europe and North America. It operates a scheduled freighter route network of 37 destinations as of November 2019 focused on Europe, Asia and the United States.[5]
As of March 2024, AirBridgeCargo currently no longer operates any aircraft after returning their fleet to its lessors.[2] [6]
AirBridgeCargo formerly operated the following aircraft:[6]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-400SF | 1 | 2015 | 2017 | |
| Boeing 747-200F | 5 | 2004 | 2012 | |
| Boeing 747-300SF | 1 | 2005 | 2012 | |
| Boeing 747-400F | 12 | 2007 | 2022 | |
| Boeing 747-8F | 13 | 2010 | 2024 | |
| Boeing 777F | 1 | 2020 | 2022 | |