The co-operation has received support and contribution from the Walloon Government, which will advise the partners on the successful development of the project and cover talent acquisition among other issues.
The agreement serves as an extension of the MoU that was signed last summer between Liège airport, Volga Dnepr Group and CargoLogicAir, Volga Dnepr’s strategic partner, which aims to strengthen the three companies’ positions in the European market through the development of a regional hub and enhancement of freighter capacity.
The parties will consider solutions for any type of aircraft – Boeing 737, Boeing 747 or Boeing 777 – to best support the 30 weekly cargo flights operated by Volga Dnepr and its strategic partners at Liège until 2020, with a special focus on e-commerce and express shipments.
Andrey Andreev, Vice President for Europe at AirBridgeCargo Airlines, stated: “We are on the threshold of our second-year co-operation with significant results and ambitious development plans. Not only will the first 12,500 square metres of warehousing premises, which will be operational by the end of this year, facilitate the creation of up to 200 [jobs], but we are moving one step further in creating an effective system of regional hubs to meet the emerging demands of our customers worldwide”.
Steven Verhasselt, VP Commercial at Liège airport, added: “VDG and LA are connected through Cargo DNA, even before they were connected by operations. That is now further developing into a great partnership. The vision, to create real cargo gateways, connecting global markets, supported by airlines, airport, ground handlers and logistics chain, offers the market the solutions it is looking for. The Liege Airport Cargo Community is welcoming the further expansion and the opportunities to connect to the project”.