newstodate.aero

Jan 21, 2020 (newstodate): The Ukrainian cargo carrier Eleron has selected Latvia's Riga Airport as its  hub for extensive freighter operations.
   The carrier performed its first flight between Kiev and Riga on January 17, 2020, and is now offering the cargo capacity on one weekly AN-26 rotation with some 5.5 tonnes. But there is much more to come...
   -The first phase of our plan was to develop a comprehensive network of freighter services between all major destinations in Ukraine, and this target has now been achieved, says Andrey Kishinskyi, Eleron Managing Director.
   -The next phase is to develop scheduled cargo services between Ukraine and Riga as our first hub outside Ukraine, and already by mid-February we will be operating daily freighter flights from both Kiev and Lvov to Riga.
   -These daily freighter rotations will provide transfer of cargo to and from a coming wide-body freighter service at Riga Airport currently under preparation, and as the project develops we will next expand our feeder services to other markets in Eastern Europe.
   -While the West European markets are already covered by the airports of Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Liege, Copenhagen and others, we are aiming at filling the needs in the East European markets - and Riga Airport is ideally positioned as a hub with all points within some two hours flying time.
   -Under this strategy, Eleron will expand the freighter fleet from today's three AN-26 to a total of 7-10 aircraft by the end of 2020, including two more aircraft from a partner and four AN-26 currently under negotiation and to be added before year-end.
   -Eleron will also take in four or five Boeing 737-400 freighters on a leasing arrangement with a Canadian company, and these aircraft are slated for delivery already by March 2020, allowing us to expand our catchment area, says Mr Kishinskyi.
   While refusing to name the operator at this stage, Riga Airport confirms to newstodate that a wide-body freighter service connecting to the Asian market is indeed in the final planning stage.