Air Cargo

Volga-Dnepr's Atran Resumes Cargo Operations with 737 Freighter

Atran, the cargo subsidiary of Russian outsize freight specialist Volga-Dnepr Group, has returned to commercial service following regulatory approval. The carrier completed a maintenance overhaul and test flight of a Boeing 737-400 freighter in late August after retrieving the aircraft from storage. Russia's Federal Air Transport Authority Rosaviatsia reinstated Atran's operating certificate in September. The airline launched commercial flights on October 16 on the Moscow-Mirny route via Novosibirsk. The 737-400, with an 18-tonne payload capacity, will serve the Mirny industrial center. Atran had voluntarily suspended operations in 2025 due to international sanctions and had previously shifted to Antonov An-12 aircraft in 2023 amid uncertainty surrounding its leased 737 fleet. The resumption strengthens Volga-Dnepr's domestic cargo capabilities.