Global aviation group AIR ONE has appointed Ilya Gavrilin as business development director APAC to support the expansion of its scheduled and charter freighter operations across Asia Pacific.
Based at AIR ONE’s new regional headquarters in Hong Kong, Gavrilin will lead strategic commercial growth, strengthen client partnerships and support network expansion for the group’s managed fleet of 11 Boeing 747-400Fs and two 777Fs.
He joins AIR ONE from EURES Express in Hong Kong, where he served as vice president and developed partnerships with cargo airlines.
Earlier in his career, Gavrilin spent more than 12 years with Volga-Dnepr Airlines and Volga-Dnepr Group in senior commercial roles across Europe and APAC.
During this period, he helped establish the group’s presence in Hong Kong and went on to serve as deputy commercial director for Boeing 747 charters and head of integrated logistics services.
Gavrilin has worked across both the airline and freight forwarding sectors, with experience spanning charter cargo agreements, commercial development and the launch of new business activities.
Guneet Mirchandani, chairman of AIR ONE, said: “As a seasoned commercial leader with over 15 years of experience and deep expertise across major Asia-Pacific markets, Ilya will help to drive our expansion across the region.
“His focus is to build on our well-established presence as a leading provider of freighter capacity, and to leverage our scheduled and charter capabilities to open new business opportunities for our clients as well as for AIR ONE and our partners.”
AIR ONE has provided all-cargo capacity from APAC since the launch of AIR ONE Aviation in April 2020.
Over the past five years, the group has operated more than 2,843 Boeing freighter flights connecting the region with cargo markets in Europe and beyond, including 1,874 originating from Hong Kong. More than 70% of its flights during the period originated from APAC countries.
In September 2025, supported by fleet growth, AIR ONE launched its first Boeing 747F scheduled services between Asia Pacific and Europe.
It currently operates two rotations a week between Hong Kong and East Midlands Airport in the UK.
