ANTONOV Airlines has appointed Air Cargo Partners Worldwide (ACP) as its General Sales Agent (GSA) in Australia.

The GSA representation, part of ongoing expansion for the heavy lift, super-heavy lift, and project cargo specialist, will be managed by Ken Lyons, Sales and Development Manager, ACP Worldwide.

ACP Worldwide has five offices in the region comprising Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and an office in Auckland.

ANTONOV operates a fleet of seven AN-124-100 freighters, with a payload of up to 150 tonnes, in addition to the 60 tonnes payload AN-22 and the AN-225, which is the largest aircraft in the world, with a payload of 250 tonnes.

"We recognise the strong project cargo nature of the Australian market, ranging from oil and gas to mining and other industrial sectors, and appointed a GSA to bring our expertise right to the doorstep of these key industries," said Martin Griffiths, Commercial Manager, ANTONOV Airlines UK.

"ACP Worldwide was chosen as the Australian GSA for ANTONOV Airlines due to its ten years' experience of working in the heavy lift industry and its extensive experience in dealing with AN-124s.

"They have supported us on a number of occasions in the past and have put forward a compelling plan to take us forward in the Australian market."

Oleg Orlov, Vice President at ANTONOV Company also commented on the ongoing global growth of ANTONOV Airlines.

"We are excited to be continuing to expand globally with new representation in Australia, following the recent establishment of our office in the United Kingdom and appointment of our GSA in Japan."

"We will be making further announcements regarding more new offices."

ACP Worldwide's team of over twenty five airline cargo professionals has over twenty years' experience in the Australian and New Zealand market.

"We were appointed to provide a competitive local sales and service value proposition to major industry segments engaging with heavy lift projects across a wide range of sectors," said Ken Lyons, Sales and Development Manager, ACP Worldwide.

"In addition to securing new business, we will maintain effective communication in support of ANTONOV Airlines' regular aircraft market updates, and distribute information on fleet availability in the region, including special offers and backloads."

"We look forward to bringing our regional expertise to further complement ANTONOV Airline's international market presence."

ACP Worldwide specialises in a variety of industries, including oil and gas, mining, construction, automotive, pharmaceuticals, technology and transport.

The Kyiv, Ukraine-headquartered carrier recently announced it is working with Ukrainian and western suppliers for its fleet modernisation programme, and will establish a presence in the USA and Hong Kong.

ANTONOV Company designs, develops, manufactures and maintains the AN freighters.

Contributed by ANTONOV Airlines