Volga-Dnepr Airlines (VI, Ulyanovsk Vostochny) president Alexey Isaykin has announced that Volga-Dnepr Group would be evaluating setting up a production line to build new An-124 freighters on its own after the Russian government has given up plans to financially support the resumption of the An-124 programme. Volga-Dnepr currently operates ten An-124-100s and is the largest operator of the large cargo aircraft. It assumes that until 2030 there would be demand for at least sixty additional An-124s as it expects the demand for outsize cargo charters to grow significantly.