AirBridge Cargo (ABC), Russia's first scheduled all-cargo airline, and part of the Volga-Dnepr Group of companies, has signed an exclusive marketing agreement with Air Canada Cargo. Covering scheduled and charter Boeing 747F services to and from the European hubs of Frankfurt and Amsterdam to Russia, CIS and Asia.

The agreement will especially assist the oil and gas industry in western Canada with its supply chain logistics, with ABC and Air Canada offering unparalleled speed and efficiency. The combination of both carrier's all-cargo fleet is an also an added benefit for large and outsize cargo.

The contract is effective immediately and will run until March 31, 2007. Air Canada Cargo, as a GSA, already markets the unique capabilities of the AN124-100 aircraft in the Volga-Dnepr Airlines' fleet for the Canadian Department of National Defence. The new agreement will create synergies between Air Canada's wide body and MD-11F services into Europe and AirBridge Cargo's B747F services to Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk servicing the oil and gas industry, with more destinations to be added soon.

Stan Wraight, Vice President of Volga-Dnepr Group, said, "Our cooperation with Air Canada Cargo represents another significant milestone in the growth of AirBridge Cargo. We have recently taken steps to grow our network for deliveries around Russia and the CIS using Russian hubs and are looking forward to imminent fleet and network expansion in the coming months."