Stansted’s cargo network has expanded again with the introduction of weekly flights between the Essex airport and Moscow.

Besides a direct link to Moscow, the new service, launched by Russian freight carrier Transaero, will provide onward connections with a number of other Transaero routes from the Russian capital.

Stansted’s owner, Manchester Airports Group (MAG), said that the new route, to be operated by a Tupolev Tu304-100C aircraft, had been developed to meet increased demand from freight forwarders.

Conan Busby, cargo business development manager at MAG, said: “We are delighted Transaero have chosen London Stansted as their preferred UK airport for developing their UK cargo services.

“This is the first new cargo service to London Stansted since the recent acquisition by MAG and we are certain it will not be the last.

“Transaero’s arrival clearly demonstrates the attractiveness of London Stansted as a UK cargo hub and is a perfect example of why MAG chose to invest in our new London gateway, the only London airport with spare capacity and world-class infrastructure already in place to meet demand and support growth in the South East right now,” he added.

“MAG and the teams at Stansted are looking forward to developing a close working relationship with Transaero and will be helping in every way to ensure their new cargo service to the UK is as successful as possible.”

In February, shortly before MAG’s acquisition of Stansted from the former BAA group, Luxembourg-based Cargolux, Europe’s largest dedicated cargo airline, announced a twice weekly service between Stansted, Hong Kong and Luxembourg, using a Boeing 747.

Besides Cargolux, other existing freight operators include Asiana, British Airways World Cargo, Global Supply Systems, FedEx, Martinair, Royal Mail, Panalpina, Titan, TNT and UPS.