AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has commenced a twice-weekly direct freighter service to Singapore from Moscow.

The Boeing 747F flights, launched on September 3, will operate on Thursdays and Sundays and offer onward connections to Hong Kong and the rest of ABC’s global route network.

The new dedicated cargo services to Singapore will facilitate the movement of cross-border shipments and enhance the country’s product offerings for its customers in Asia. With the addition of Singapore, which is AirBridgeCargo’s ninth online station in Asia, the airline now provides over 500 weekly delivery solutions from the region, all with a delivery time of below 48 hours.

“The ABC team is pleased to start connecting customers in Europe, the USA and Singapore with dedicated freighter services to Changi Airport,” said Robert van de Weg, ABC’s senior vice president for  sales and marketing. “With the addition of this route, ABC is continuing its strategy to provide customers with better access to point-to-point deliveries within its global route network, while providing them with on-time, reliable and high quality service levels. Singapore, via ABC’s Moscow hub, will be directly connected to gateways like Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Milan without trucking. Asia is a vitally important market for AirBridgeCargo and we look forward to further growth in this dynamic region.”

The airline already has a diverse business portfolio in the region, connecting clients in China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam with its cargo gateways in Europe, the United States, and Russia.

“This new service by AirBridgeCargo marks a significant milestone for Changi Airport as it opens up new cargo opportunities between Singapore and Russia,” said James Fong, the airport’s assistant vice president for cargo and logistics development. “Logistics players, who were previously limited by capacity constraints between Singapore and Russia, now have a direct option to transport large freight shipments as well as general cargoes between the two countries. The enhanced air connectivity will foster further trade between both countries which is already growing steadily.”

In the first half of 2015, cargo throughput at Changi Airport reached 912,300 tons. During this period, 1,034 tons of cargo was handled between Singapore and Russia. Between 2010 and 2014, air cargo volumes between Singapore and Russia grew by an average growth rate of 16 percent annually.