REUTERS
Ukraine's state-owned enterprise Antonov, the only Ukrainian manufacturer of transport and passenger planes, plans to terminate all ongoing projects with Russian transport company Volga-Dnepr by the end of the year, which has been operating the An-124 Ruslan aircraft, according to the company's director, Oleksandr Kotsiuba.
"I would say that now we are in the divorce stage concerning all projects jointly implemented with Volga-Dnepr company. By the end of the year, we will not be carrying out any joint projects with Volga-Dnepr company. We will operate independently in the market," Kotsuba said.
UNIAN memo. Russian cargo airline Volga-Dnepr, founded in Ulyanovsk in 1990, specializes in air transportation of over tonnaged and outsized cargo using the IL-76TD-90VD and AN-124-100 aircraft for the needs of oil and gas, aerospace, heavy engineering industries, humanitarian and peacekeeping missions. It also transports dangerous goods.
In 2004 the Volga-Dnepr group of companies and Ukraine's state enterprise Antonov established Ruslan SALIS Gmbh joint venture, and in 2006 the two companies set up Ruslan International Ltd joint venture. The two companies have been carrying out joint projects in the field of air cargo transportation, including as part of humanitarian missions operating throughout the world.