# AirBridgeCargo

AirBridgeCargo Airlines, LLC (Russian: ООО Авиакомпания «ЭйрБриджКарго»), part of Volga-Dnepr Group, was the largest Russian cargo airline, with its head office in Moscow. It operated scheduled cargo services on routes between Russia, Asia, Europe and North America, covering more than 30 destinations worldwide. All flights connected 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.

## History

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. In July 2022, the airline announced it would comply with sanctions and prepare to return 14 leased aircraft - which made up the majority of its fleet - to its lessors.
In March 2023, it became known that the company planned to resume flights using Ilyushin Il-96 aircraft. Volga-Dnepr had begun searching for pilots with appropriate training. 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.

## Destinations

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.
| Country | City | Airport | Notes |
| Belgium | Liège | Liège Airport | Terminated |
| China | Beijing | Beijing Capital International Airport | Suspended |
| China | Shanghai | Shanghai Pudong International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Shenzhen | Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Zhengzhou | Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport | Suspended |
| Germany | Frankfurt | Frankfurt Airport | Terminated |
| Germany | Leipzig | Leipzig/Halle Airport | Terminated |
| Hong Kong | Chek Lap Kok | Hong Kong International Airport | Suspended |
| India | Mumbai | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport | Terminated |
| Indonesia | Jakarta | Soekarno–Hatta International Airport | Terminated |
| Italy | Milan | Milan Malpensa Airport | Terminated |
| Japan | Tokyo | Narita International Airport | Terminated |
| Kazakhstan | Karaganda | Sary-Arka Airport | Terminated |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | Terminated |
| Norway | Oslo | Oslo Airport | Terminated |
| Russia | Ekaterinburg | Koltsovo International Airport | Terminated |
| Russia | Kazan | Kazan International Airport | Terminated |
| Russia | Krasnoyarsk | Krasnoyarsk International Airport | Hub |
| Russia | Moscow | Moscow Domodedovo Airport | Terminated |
| Russia | Moscow | Sheremetyevo International Airport | Hub |
| Singapore | Singapore | Changi Airport | Terminated |
| South Korea | Seoul | Incheon International Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Madrid | Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Zaragoza | Zaragoza Airport | Terminated |
| Thailand | Bangkok | Suvarnabhumi Airport | Suspended |
| Turkey | Istanbul | Istanbul Airport | Terminated |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Dubai International Airport | Terminated |
| United Kingdom | London | Heathrow Airport | Terminated |
| United States | Anchorage | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport | Terminated |
| United States | Atlanta | Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport | Terminated |
| United States | Chicago | O'Hare International Airport | Suspended |

## Fleet
### Current fleet

As of March 2024, AirBridgeCargo currently no longer operates any aircraft after returning their fleet to its lessors.

### Former fleet

AirBridgeCargo formerly operated the following aircraft:
AirBridgeCargo former fleet :
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired |
| 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 |

## Accidents and incidents

* On September 11, 2012, an AirBridgeCargo Boeing 747-8F experienced a major engine malfunction that spread a significant amount of metallic debris on the runway. Like in a similar event during pre-flight taxi tests, the low pressure turbine shaft separated and moved the low pressure turbine (by design to avoid turbine overspeed) backwards braking on surrounding hardware.
* On July 31, 2013, an AirBridgeCargo Boeing 747-8F experienced core engine icing that caused engine malfunctions and damage to three engines near Chengdu, China, while en route to Hong Kong; the aircraft landed safely at its destination. Boeing and General Electric would later work on software changes to mitigate the effects of core engine icing.