AIRBRIDGE Cargo (ABC) has become the 22nd airline to join Cargo 2000 and is its first Russian member.

"It has always been our intention to join Cargo 2000 once we had the management team and processes in place to support the implementation of Cargo 2000's quality system," said Stan Wraight, vice president of the Volga-Dnepr Group responsible for scheduled cargo operations.

As the all-cargo airline of the Volga-Dnepr Group, ABC carried more than 80,000 tonnes of cargo in 2006, generating sales revenues in excess of US$230 million. The airline currently operates 10 flights a week out of Frankfurt and four per week from Amsterdam to Russia, providing daily and twice daily services to Moscow and five flights a week to Krasnoyarsk.

ABC also operates seven services a week to and from Shanghai and four flights a week to and from Beijing in China, in addition to four services a week from Nagoya to Russia and Europe, and three flights serving Hong Kong from Frankfurt and Amsterdam, a statement issued on behalf of Cargo 2000 said.