Oleg Demidov, although only 39 years of age, is a real cargo veteran who knows the freight business from A to Z. As a leading representative of Volga-Dnepr and ABC he not only attended numerous
meetings of the Russian-German bilateral consultations on traffic rights on behalf of the Russian Transport Ministry but became very soon a key decision maker whose opinion and suggestions
counted.
 
A new life outside the V-D cosmos
This episode is over, however, with the manager deciding to embark upon a new professional challenge by founding an agency offering not only airlines, but also general sales agents consultancy
services. The idea behind this step is based on Oleg’s longtime experience: Every airline, no matter in which country it is officially registered and how well managed, faces external difficulties
from time to time. This could be slots that were requested but denied, finding tailored freighter aircraft in the market for serving certain routes or negotiating ACMI deals, just to name three
examples, where external expertise might come in handy for finding tailored solutions.
 
Broad spectrum of services rendered
Mr Demidov emphasizes that his AeroBureauConsulting’s reach stretches beyond Russia: “We already have partners in the U.S., Europe and the Far East who are ready to provide their expertise
and knowledge to the industry in close coordination with us, whenever required.” 
Here are some basic services provided by the newcomer in collaboration with international partners:

• negotiating terms and conditions of commercial agreements between airlines, such as code-share matters, SPA’s or interline agreements; 
• assisting carriers in obtaining temporary and/or permanent approvals for scheduled/non-scheduled operations
• Drafting of letters/petitions/documents etc. to be presented on behalf of the airline (entity) to Aeronautical Authorities of the Russian Federation and/or foreign States on major activities
  of the airline;
• Registration and accreditation of a representative office in the Russian Federation on behalf of a non-Russian carrier;
• Providing aircraft maintenance and repair consulting services and negotiating ACMI agreements
• In Russia specifically, AeroBureauConsulting LLC offers consultancy services in customs clearance related topics. 

In the short interview below, Mr Demidov reveals some specs of his company’s aims and services provided to future customers.  

To start with he explains when and why he left the Volga-Dnepr Group:
Officially I left V-D as of SEP 23, however 2 months before I was on garden leave, since JUL 23. As it was explained to me in the papers I received, VD decided to cut aeropolitical, and
external relations functions, therefore they are/were not able. to provide me with work anymore. So, the whole external relations department was cut along with my position. BTW ABC has also cut
the traffic rights department completely. 

Do you have a first customer already or are you in business talks with an airline that’s interested in your service offering?
We are in talks with several potential customers and those are not only airlines. I can tell you that our product will be focused on small carriers who do not want/need to invest in the
fields we intend to cover. Of course, we would love to see also legacy carriers among our clients. But, as you know, they prefer to do all themselves as they have inhouse resources for
that.
 
Does your former job at V-D and the industrial knowledge gained predominantly in Russia suffice to attract potential clients?
Of course, work in V-D gave me vast experience and I’m grateful to the company for that. When I joined V-D I knew the aviation world from the governmental side only. In contrast, the
commercial business is faster, highly demanding and needs adaptive and creative solutions that must be developed and offered the market in an extremely short time. So, I really went to a fast
learning process that included most angles of the air freight industry, from how to load and unload an aircraft, to commercial activities, working with customers, ACMI contracts, fleet and
network developments. And that is not all what was done by me and my colleagues in Volga-Dnepr’s External relations department. The spectrum of duties was broad.
 
We wish you good fortune with your new project.
 
Heiner Siegmund

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