Moscow to install air cargo bridges with China and UAE – Sobyanin
Moscow will establish air cargo bridges with China and the UAE, Sergei Sobyanin said during the signing of a cooperation agreement between the government of the capital and the Volga-Dnepr airline.
“Why are we signing this agreement? In fact, we are creating a new logistics corridor with such large countries as China, India, and a number of other countries. The company will ensure the transportation of goods on our order from these countries,” the mayor said.
According to him, we are talking about the transportation of vital goods, such as medicines, medicines, equipment and components. It is expected that such freight transportation will reduce the delivery time of goods by several times and open up new opportunities.
Also, according to Sobyanin, this will be a good opportunity for exporters to supply their products. He recalled that issues of support for aviation companies were discussed the day before at a meeting chaired by Vladimir Putin.
“Today we are signing an agreement with the Volga-Dnepr cargo aviation company. The largest company in the country, which has fallen into such a difficult economic situation due to the fact that their international market has sharply decreased due to sanctions. Nevertheless, it is one of the largest in the world and the largest company in the country, which, of course, must work for the benefit of Russia and, of course, for the benefit of the very staff of this company. It employs thousands of people. And it is important to preserve this potential,” Sobyanin said.
Aleksey Isaikin, Chairman of the Airline’s Board of Directors, added that he was optimistic about cooperation. According to him, this will save jobs for almost three thousand employees in Russia.
The agreement should ensure a stable, fast, regular and reliable supply of the Central Transport Hub with goods and essential goods: medicines, medical devices and consumables, food, information technology and communications products, consumer goods, as well as equipment and components for Moscow enterprises.
The Moscow government will act as the customer, and the Volga-Dnepr company as the operator of regular air cargo transportation between the capital and other cities of the country, as well as foreign countries, including China, India and the United Arab Emirates.
Also, together with the government of the Russian Federation, the city authorities will assist in promptly obtaining the necessary permits for international flights and customs clearance of goods. The volume of the city’s transport order will be about 9.5 billion rubles.
By the end of the year, Volga-Dnepr aircraft will deliver about 20,000 tons of critical cargo to Moscow. The services of the carrier can be used by any companies that need prompt delivery of goods to the capital.
The cooperation agreement between the Moscow government and the company will be valid until the end of 2022. If necessary, it will be extended for another year.
Earlier, Sobyanin approved a set of measures to support small and medium-sized businesses in the capital in the current economic conditions. It included, among other things, three programs of concessional lending to SMEs.
We are talking about simple concessional lending at a rate of 15% per annum, concessional lending for investment purposes and preferential factoring. To create import-substituting industries, the Moscow government has developed special grants.
In addition, the mayor signed a decree on the allocation of grants to entrepreneurs for the opening and development of fast food chains in Moscow. According to the decision of the city government, the key condition for obtaining a grant is the opening of new fast food outlets, as well as the hiring of new employees. The amount of the payment will depend on the area of the opened establishments and other parameters.
Source: www.m24.ru