Ex-Red Wings chief eyes Volga-Dnepr takeover
Evraz Avia Servis (EAS), founded this year by former Red Wings and Zhukovsky Airport head Yevgeny Solodilin, is negotiating the purchase of Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Group, Kommersant reports.
A preliminary agreement foresees EAS acquiring the group’s three carriers – Volga-Dnepr, Atran and AirBridgeCargo – plus its MRO firms. Sources say EAS plans to seek state approval to return nine Boeing 747-8Fs from ABC’s grounded fleet to lessors, given strong global demand.
Volga-Dnepr, once a leader in outsized cargo, has been hit hard by Western sanctions: aircraft have been detained in Cologne and Leipzig, and much of its fleet is in storage. The Transport Ministry recently rejected a proposal to transfer the group into state ownership. Solodilin aims to restore operations with a mix of retained Boeings and Russian-built Il-96-400s, Tu-204s and Tu-214s.
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