This year will see AirBridgeCargo Airlines’ (ABC) investing more in new-generation freight aircraft and concentrating on further network expansion.

This, after the airline posted a 20-percent tonnage gain year on year in the first 11 months of 2015.

In November 2015, ABC took delivery of two new Boeing 747-8 freighters. The delivery in November was the first to be completed under the memorandum signed between Boeing and ABC parent company Volga-Dnepr Group during the Paris Air Show in June 2015. The Boeing- Volga-Dnepr deal calls for more 747-8 freighters to be delivered by Boeing to ABC. The airline’s fleet currently includes eight of these new aircraft.

ABC’s network enhancements will include the introduction of additional frequencies in major markets, primarily the United States. Plans also call for increasing connectivity options through ABC’s hub in Moscow to offer all U.S. destinations from all on-line stations in Asia.

Through November 2015, ABC carried 439,000 tons of cargo, 20 percent up year on year. The airline saw a 27-percent upswing in cargo in November compared to the same month in 2014. The November figures show that ABC transported over 50,000 tons across its global network serving Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region.

The airline’s freight ton kilometer (FTK) performance continues to be one of the highest in the airline cargo industry: in 2015 in average ABC’s FTK’s rose by 25 percent.

“In 2015, ABC has continued following its growth strategy, which is based on a combination of operating a highly efficient fleet, network expansion to the points of production and consumption, developing niche destinations with limited belly capacity but stable cargo flows, and a high level of service quality delivered by skilled air cargo professionals,” said Denis Ilin, AirBridgeCargo’s Executive President. “We have successfully leveraged our internal strengths and external opportunities and this continues to boost our optimistic outlook.”

The airline’s growth in 2015 has been boosted by the addition of more prime cargo routes and greater connectivity across its network as well as the introduction of additional frequencies on existing routes. In Asia Pacific, new services to and from Singapore and Hanoi have extended ABC’s network in the region to a total of nine online stations. In Europe, it launched services to Helsinki, while its coverage in North America has been enhanced by adding Los Angeles and Atlanta. ABC now provides its customers with a choice of over 600 weekly connections with 48-hour delivery time (including ground handling procedures) for any published scheduled hub connection.

According to an independent report, AirBridgeCargo demonstrated delivered-as-promised performance of 87 percent, becoming one of the top three airlines for this quality indicator.