New UK-based Volga-Dnepr subsidiary CargoLogicAir has been granted an air operator certificate by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

The cargo airline is based at Stansted Airport and will offer both scheduled and charter services for general and outsize cargo. It currently has a Boeing 747-400 Freighter leased from Aircastle and expects to acquire another in July 2016. It is aiming to operate a fleet of five 747Fs by April 2018.

“Our aim now is to become a leader in the European air cargo market by earning a strong reputation for the highest levels of service, safety and efficiency,” said Dmitry Grishin, newly appointed CEO of CargoLogicAir. “We have a very experienced team in CLA that combine operational expertise and regulatory knowledge, and a clear strategy for the future. We believe that the all-cargo airline business model has its place in the market and that we can achieve sustainable growth by specializing in outsize and flexible solutions for our customers.”

Peter van de Pas, previously with KLM and Cargolux, has been appointed as chief operating officer and accountable manager. Steve Harvey, who was regional charter sales manager of Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Atlas Air, has been appointed as CLA’s chief commercial officer.

“We believe this is the right time to launch a new UK cargo airline,” said Harvey. “We created the company in the UK, which has a rich heritage of all-cargo specialist carriers including big names like HeavyLift, AirFoyle and others. The UK is the second-largest air cargo market in the EU and its economy is growing. Using our knowledge, we plan to make a strong contribution to putting the UK back on the map of global all-cargo leaders. We have been extremely encouraged by the level of interest from our customers and expect this to result in us attracting the level of business we need to support our growth strategy over the next three to five years.”

CLA will be announcing its route network and schedule in due course, according to the airline.