# Volga-Dnepr Airlines (IATA VI · ICAO VDA · AWB 412)

> Volga-Dnepr Airlines (IATA VI, AWB prefix 412) is a Russian cargo airline that carries outsize and superheavy shipments on charter with Antonov An-124 and Ilyushin Il-76 freighters. The company belongs to Volga-Dnepr Group, holds its own air operator certificate and flies only its own ramp freighters from Ulyanovsk Vostochny. Besides full charters it has operated a small Il-76 scheduled network to and from China since 2022. Anyone moving project cargo beyond the dimensions of a standard freighter will find one of the few An-124 operators here. Before any enquiry, however, it must be checked whether US, EU, UK or Canadian sanctions stand in the way of the business.

## Quick facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Legal | OOO «Aviakompaniya Volga-Dnepr» (Volga-Dnepr Airlines LLC) |
| IATA | `VI` |
| ICAO | `VDA` |
| AWB prefix | `412` |
| Country | RU |
| Group | Volga-Dnepr Group |

## Overview

OOO Aviakompaniya Volga-Dnepr, trading internationally as Volga-Dnepr Airlines, is a Russian cargo airline registered in Ulyanovsk with a head office in Moscow. It was founded in 1990 in Ulyanovsk to make the Antonov An-124 Ruslan commercially usable. The first commercial flight operated on 1 August 1991 from Ulyanovsk via Moscow and Samara back to Ulyanovsk. The company belongs to Volga-Dnepr Group; its general director is I. B. Aksyonov.

The business model is pure freighter operation with the carrier's own ramp aircraft. The focus is full charter for outsize and superheavy shipments: turbines, satellites, drilling and power plant equipment, helicopters, vehicles and humanitarian aid. In addition, since 2022 the carrier has operated a small scheduled network with the Il-76TD-90VD to and from China, on which palletised individual consignments from 0.5 kg are also accepted. It further offers first and last mile, customs clearance, flight support and third-party maintenance.

The types flown are the Antonov An-124-100 and An-124-100M-150 with up to 120 and 150 tonnes payload respectively, and the Ilyushin Il-76TD-90VD with up to 50 tonnes, which takes eight PMC pallets. Frachtportal deliberately publishes no aircraft numbers because the available figures for the serviceable fleet differ substantially.

The home base and hub is Ulyanovsk Vostochny (ULY). There the company has run its own aviation technical base since 1991 and its flight operations control centre since February 2012.

What matters for forwarders: Volga-Dnepr is on the sanctions lists of the United States, the EU, the United Kingdom and Canada. The IATA Clearing House member list of 6 August 2026 shows VI-412 as suspended. There is no self-service shipment tracking; cargo status is given by customer service only.

## Hubs

- ULY

## Fleet

- Antonow An-124-100 «Ruslan» × 0 (120000 kg)

- Antonow An-124-100M-150 × 0 (150000 kg)

- Iljuschin Il-76TD-90VD × 0 (50000 kg)

## Sources

- [Volga-Dnepr Airlines, About the Company](https://www.volga-dnepr.com/en/about/aboutcompany/)

- [IATA Clearing House, Member List Report vom 06.08.2026 (Eintrag VI-412 VOLGA-DNEPR AIRLINE JOINT STOCK, Status Suspended)](https://www.iata.org/contentassets/82a24c7a736142b6bd18e20f77dcef60/ich-members.pdf)

- [FAA Order JO 7340.2 Contractions, Kapitel 3 Abschnitt 3-3-V nach ICAO Doc 8585 (Eintrag VDA / VOLGA-DNEPR / RUSSIAN FEDERATION / VOLGA)](https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/CNT/3-3-V.htm)

- [Internationaler Flughafen Uljanowsk-Wostotschny, Verzeichnis der am Flughafen ansässigen Organisationen (OOO Awiakompanija Wolga-Dnepr)](https://ulvostaero.ru/part/org/ooo-aviakompaniya-volga-dnepr/)

- [Volga-Dnepr Airlines, Politik in Bezug auf die Bearbeitung personenbezogener Daten (gezeichnet vom Generaldirektor der OOO Awiakompanija Wolga-Dnepr)](https://www.volga-dnepr.com/privacy-policy/)

- [Air Cargo News, Ex-Red Wing chief's firm takes over three Volga-Dnepr Group companies (13.01.2026)](https://www.aircargonews.net/airlines/2026/01/ex-red-wing-chiefs-firm-takes-over-three-volga-dnepr-group-companies/)

- [Volga-Dnepr Airlines, FAQ (Frage 14: Sendungsstatus ausschliesslich über den Kundendienst) und offizielle Sitemap ohne Trackingseite](https://www.volga-dnepr.com/en/faq/)

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*Freight Academy — Airline Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airlines/volga-dnepr-airlines](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airlines/volga-dnepr-airlines)*

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