Antonov Airlines ends sales deal with Dreamlifts agency

Antonov Airlines operates the unique capability of the An-225 Mriya with its 250 tonnes payload (Antonov Airlines)

Heavyweight cargo carrier Antonov Airlines has agreed to terminate its three-year-old exclusive arrangement with Dreamlifts, its specialist general sales and service agent (GSSA).

The contract, signed in 2016, covered all sales activities on the Ukraine airline’s fleet of heavyweight Antonov An-124-100s, An-225, An-22, An-26 and An-74 aircraft and will cease from the end of this month (February) 2020.

Thanking its contribution to the partnership, a statement from Antonov says of Dreamlifts: “It has consistently demonstrated expertise in the outsize and heavyweight cargo market having served the global Antonov Airlines customer base so efficiently for the past more than three years.”

Until a new arrangement is made, all sales activities will be managed by the “internal sources” of the airline’s management team which will continue to lead the global sales and operations of these unique cargo aircraft from its Kyiv, Ukraine headquarters.

Antonov Airlines is also inviting interest from internationally well-known and experienced experts from the outsize and heavyweight cargo industry, especially those “who have worked with Antonov for many years.”

Further details of this will be communicated later, the company says.

Mykhailo Kharchenko, director of Antonov Airlines reveals: “The management of Dreamlifts Ltd decided not to continue the joint work with Antonov Company after the expiration of the current GSSA agreement.

“And they have the right to do so. We are very grateful to our Dreamlifts colleagues for their cooperation and support of Antonov Airlines during the last three years. We wish them only success in the future,” Kharchenko adds.

In the interim, Antonov Airlines is to continue to offer its “reliable An-124 airframes (with extended lifespans)” to the market on its own. “And we look forward to working with existing and potential customers and can see a successful future going forward with them,” he says.

Andriy Blagovisniy, Antonov Airlines’ commercial director, says of immediate plans: “An experienced team of Ukraine sales professionals will lead the global sales activities for its fleet of An-124-100s, An-225, An-22, An-26 and An-74 aircraft. Antonov’s customers will continue to receive high-quality services based on the knowledge and deep expertise of the HQ sales team. We expect a seamless transition for our customers and a continuation of flexible and personal service as per the current and future contracts.”

Last year Antonov Airlines celebrated the 30th anniversary of its founding as the first company to introduce the commercial advantages of the An-124 Ruslan to the air cargo world.

Antonov currently operates a cargo fleet of seven An-124s, including its upgraded derivative the An-124-100M-150 which offers a payload of up to 150 tonnes. It also operates the unique capability of the An-225 Mriya with its 250 tonnes payload; and the world’s largest turboprop, the An-22 Antey with a 60-tonne payload; along with the An-26 with a 4.5 tonnes payload.

By Nigel Tomkins / aircargoeye.com for Russian Aviation Insider