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February 2008 Bolivian flooding calls for urgent international assistance… Floods affecting nearly 25,000 families hit parts of Bolivia last month causing the country’s President Evo Morales to declare a state of emergency after weeks of heavy rain; this has been caused by the climatic phenomenon known as La Niña, and has devastated several parts of the country. Air Charter Service (ACS) one of the leading operators in cargo and passenger air chartering, received an urgent call from a Spanish based relief agency to carry 10 tonnes of much needed water purification equipment, medical kits, tents, blankets and mosquito nets from Madrid Torrijon Airport on the 12th February 2008, just three days after the agency approached ACS. The 70cbm cargo was expertly loaded into the AN-12 with only a 90cbm volume, resulting in the on site load master remarking how ‘our skills at Tetris have come in very handy today’. Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst, ACS said: “This is the fourth charter that we have successfully operated for this client and ACS’ dedicated broker relationships and the added bonus of the team being fluent in Spanish certainly helps put our customers’ minds at rest. Speaking the language also helped me to secure landing rights and permits with the minimum of delay.” ACS works to assist governments, charities and aid agencies when ‘every minute counts’ in saving lives. Being very aware of the urgency required in these situations, as a minimum requirement many of the charter brokers at ACS are bi- or tri-lingual. They have supported relief efforts into countries including Algeria, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Sudan and operated a variety of nearly 500 flights in the aftermath of the catastrophic tsunami which struck Thailand on December 26th 2004. Contact Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst and team at london@aircharter.co.uk
December 2007 Transformer transport is Optimus Prime... Sometimes the strength of an organisation lies in its commitment to detail and its quality of foresight. This proved truer than usual when Air Charter Service were asked to carry two 31 tonne, four metre high transformers nearly 3,000 miles from the UK to Iran. Securing a massive Antonov-124 Ruslan, ACS had to plan carefully to ensure that the load could be properly fitted and supported. Ben Dinsdale, London based Cargo Charter Analyst, describes how, realising that the weight of the transformers was such that they would be too heavy to be supported during the flight on the original bases, “We organised a visit to the factory the week before the flight in order to advise how to spread the weight efficiently by altering the base for optimum loading onto the AN-124.” Contact Ben Dinsdale, London based Cargo Charter Analyst and team london@aircharter.co.uk
November 2007 Hurricane Noel damage calls for urgent assistance… Air Charter Service (ACS) one of the leading names in cargo and passenger air chartering, arranged for an Antonov-12 to carry seven tonnes of urgently needed relief cargo from Spain to Mexico and South America in the aftermath of Hurricane Noel which left widespread flooding and mudslides. Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst at ACS confirmed the flight on the evening of Friday 2nd November for a 4th November departure. The flight was for the Spanish Government so using his fluent Spanish, Richard was able to negotiate the permits for each country, not an inconsiderable task due to the long duration of the flight and the two drop stops in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The AN-12 carried seven tonnes of medical kits, two water purifying plants, blankets and jerry cans to the effected regions. Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst, ACS said: “The challenge with this flight was the route – the 26 hour flight stopped in two different countries on the way and with only 24 hours notice we had to work hard to finalise everything.” ACS is called in to assist governments, charities and aid agencies when ‘every minute counts’ in saving lives. Being very aware of the urgency required in these situations, as a minimum requirement many of the charter brokers at ACS are bi- or tri-lingual. They have supported relief efforts into countries including Algeria, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Sudan and operated a variety of nearly 500 flights in the aftermath of the catastrophic tsunami which struck Thailand on December 26th 2004. Contact Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst and team at london@aircharter.co.uk
October 2007 ACS Condors fly 200 tonnes of ‘Christmas Trees’ to Egypt… Enormous ocean freighters are generally the preferred mode of transport when carrying 200 tonnes of oil drilling equipment from the UK out to the Middle East. However, when the production of 15 massive ‘Christmas tree’, component parts of oil drilling equipment required by an Egyptian oil development was delayed back in November the shippers involved turned to Air Charter Service (ACS) who chartered two mighty AN-124 aircraft. ACS’ key qualities as an international organization with a high level of professionalism on the ground were vital. The difficulties the Houston-based shipper had in arranging transport from the UK to Egypt were overcome by the smooth and easy interactions of ACS’ New York and East Midlands offices. However it was the skills of ACS employees on site which proved critical. Ruan Courtney, President and Charter Sales Manager ACS New York, emphasised the importance of the “experience of Ralph Cutting our EMA based Operations Manager, in ensuring that any problems the shipper experienced prior to loading – such as the cargo not being able to fit through the airport gates! - were dealt with efficiently and well in advance of the flight.” Yet another example of ACS’ ability to offer quick and effective logistics solutions to their customers. Contact: Ruan Courtney, President and Charter Sales Manager ACS New York and team cargo@aircharterserviceusa.com
September 2007 Aid in the wake of Hurricane Felix.. Air Charter Service (ACS) one of the leading names in cargo and passenger air chartering, arranged for an Antonov-12 to carry ten tonnes of relief cargo to Nicaragua on Monday 10th September in response to devastation caused by the Category 5 hurricane, Hurricane Felix. ACS received the urgent flight confirmation late on the evening of Friday 7th September, and under immense time pressure had the flight and all necessary permits prepared for departure on Monday. Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst, ACS said: “This was an extremely challenging flight to organise given the timeframe and the nature of the cargo; luckily, being fluent in Spanish I was able to make direct contact with the Civil Aviation Authority in Nicaragua which greatly accelerated the permit process.” The arduous journey was approximately 6,300 miles from Torrejón (TOJ), Spain stopping in El Salvador (SAL) and Barbados (BGI) to Managua (MGA), Nicaragua, and took almost 27 hours in transit time. ACS are called in to assist governments, charities and aid agencies when ‘every minute counts’ in saving lives. Being very aware of the urgency required in these situations, as a minimum requirement all the charter brokers at ACS are bi- or tri-lingual. They have supported relief efforts into countries including Algeria, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Sudan and operated a variety of nearly 500 flights in the aftermath of the catastrophic tsunami which struck Thailand on December 26th 2004. The 10 tonne payload consisted of: water filters, tents, pumps, medikits and clothes. Contact Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst and team at london@aircharter.co.uk
August 2007 Speed bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing… The opening line of the traditional Sky Boat Song was never meant as a prophecy. But earlier this month it became literally true when a fast ferry called the Spirit of Skye was flown from Scotland to Kazakhstan. The vessel was bought by a mining firm with an urgent need for a vessel to carry a VIP on a tour of its sites in September. The 16.5 tonne boat, which can carry 36 passengers, was flown on board an Antonov-22 flight which ACS expertly brokered with absolute precision. The mining firm launched a worldwide search for the perfect vessel and the Spirit of Skye which had been up for sale for a while was the only craft that fitted their very precise specifications. The journey as the crow flies from Scotland to Kazakhstan is 2,400 miles and the time scale, nor the height of the bridges through Europe, would have allowed this cargo to be moved by sea. Nick Harris, Cargo Charter Analyst, ACS said: “The Antonov-22 with its 50 tonne payload capacity was the perfect choice for this flight; the aircraft is the largest propeller-driven aircraft in the world, we are very familiar with the aircraft but the complex shape of the vessel meant that it took nearly five hours to load. We had a tight deadline and the flight was a complete success.” Contact: Nick Harris / Paul Hoatson, Cargo Charter Analysts at london@aircharter.co.uk As appeared in the Scotsman
July 2007 Transport of oil well equipment across the world... Air Charter Service (ACS) has been a specialist in outsize cargo transport for the past 15 years. Recently they were able to demonstrate just how accomplished they are in this area of expertise when they assisted one of their clients, a major freight forwarder in Norway, to transport outsized cargo across the world. ACS were contacted when a leading Norwegian oil company urgently needed to transport some vital oil well equipment from Osaka, Japan to Oslo, Norway. The cargo included 124 oil pipes, all 12 metres long, 30 centimetres in diameter and weighing 110 tonnes in total. Experienced cargo broker Andy Holmes located an Antonov 124 to transport the cargo in no time. Experience is often the key when dealing with air cargo, and in this case it proved vital as Andy was able to obtain Japanese traffic rights within ten days, thereby meeting the client’s deadline for delivery. ACS prides itself on quality service with great flexibility to suit the customers’ needs. Once again ACS was able to deliver a full service on an international route and leave another one of their valued clients satisfied.
May 2007 Air Charter Service bases aircraft at Châteauroux Air Charter Service plc, the private air charter specialist is delighted to announce that it is to base an Antonov 26 cargo plane at Châteauroux-Déols "Marcel Dassault" Airport, situated 220 km south of Paris. This is the first time that an aircraft has been based at the facility. Air Charter Service is London-based, with other permanent offices in New York, Dubai and Moscow. Globally recognised as a leading name in passenger and cargo air chartering, it operates around 2,700 flights annually. The company was established in 1990 and provides a complete turnkey service for anyone needing to charter an aircraft on a one-off basis, arranging all aspects of a charter from fully crewed aircraft to ground transfers. ACS monitors real-time movements of more than 50,000 aircraft worldwide and tracks data on airports, fuel prices, legislation and routings. Justin Bowman, ACS commercial director, comments, “Châteauroux is perfectly placed for the heartland of the French automotive industry, and basing the Antonov 26 there means that we can better serve the needs of our clients in the auto industry, co-ordinating “just-in-time” deliveries of parts.”
March 2007 Eric Clapton: live in Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong... According to local myth, there is a pub in Shropshire where Eric Clapton used to stroll in occasionally and ask if the band would let him join them for a few numbers. That was in the late 1970s; today, any performance by the legendary artist requires meticulous management over an extended period. To illustrate the scale of a Clapton event, his recent packed-stadium tour of the Far East involved the movement of around 25 tons of band and stage equipment between venues. Eric had not played in Singapore since 1990 — and it was only his second Bangkok performance in 30 years — and audience expectations were high, so every aspect of the tour had to be perfectly handled. Ian Haynes, director of Rock It cargo, turned to Air Charter Service to guarantee that all of his equipment would always be in the right place at the right time. The tour entailed five performances, in five countries, within a nine-day period in January. Justin Bowman, Air Charter Service’s worldwide commercial director, arranged an Airbus A-300 to carry the vital cargo across thousands of miles: from Bangkok to Singapore, then to Hong Kong, onwards to Shanghai and finally to Seoul. As with any such itinerary, details had to be changed along the way, but ACS always rose to the occasion.

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