AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) began twice-weekly Boeing 747 freighter operations from Oslo on November 15.

The flights come to support of Norway’s seafood export market and the country’s oil and gas industry.

Global demand for Norwegian seafood, and especially salmon, continues to make a significant and growing contribution to the country’s economy. Norway now exports 220,000 tons of seafood a year, 600 tons a day, using air cargo services to Asia and North America.

By offering over 100 tons of cargo capacity per flight, ABC’s new Tuesday and Friday services ex Oslo will enable Norwegian exporters to seamlessly access the airline’s network in both North America and Asia Pacific via its hub in Moscow.

“Our strategy is always to stay close to our customers and to listen to their requirements to ensure we are operating where they want us to be,” said Georges Biwer, a vice president at AirBridgeCargo. “Oslo is the perfect example of this level of customer support. Norwegian salmon is preferred by consumers all over the world and exporters rely on the speed and reliability of air cargo to ensure their seafood is of the highest quality when it reaches their customers. The fast connections and on-time performance ABC offers via its Moscow Sheremetyevo hub, as well as the temperature-control capabilities of our modern Boeing 747-8F fleet, means we can offer exporters the network and service options they need to continue to grow their business all over the world.”

AirBridgeCargo’s hub operation in Moscow means it is able to connect origin and destination points across its global network within 48 hours.

The new freighter services will also help to support Norway’s oil and gas sector. The airline’s nose-loading Boeing 747 freighters are especially well-suited to transporting long oil and gas shipments.

“The Norwegian airfreight market is growing by over 10 percent annually, making it the largest air cargo market in the Nordics,” said Martin Langaas, a director for cargo traffic development at Oslo Airport. “The Norwegian market for seafood exports alone is expected to grow by 500 percent within the next 20 to 30 years. To reach this predicted growth, it’s essential to attract high quality carriers like AirBridgeCargo to OSL to connect Norway with its most important markets in Asia and North America.”