Cargo charter news archive

Latvian AN-26 at ACS

From Saturday May 1st 2004 our AN-26 freighter based in Ostend will become European registered. This means that we will be able to fly to and from any country in the European Union, at any time, day or night, without any traffic rights restrictions.

And because we do not have to apply for any traffic rights, this means :
• No other aircraft can object to any flight we do.
• We will be able to perform urgent charters at any time during the night.
• We do not have to wait for any CAA offices to open.
• We can become airborne faster after confirmation.

As our AN-26 is Latvian registered, it will become part of the European aviation area when Latvia joins the European Union at the start of May. So this means we can continue to offer the advantages of the AN-26, cheap price, a very fast response time, and a rear cargo ramp for quick loading of difficult pieces but with all the advantages of a European registered aircraft.

Please contact Ruan for all your an-26 requirements

Packing it in!

Our heavy and outsize expertise was needed recently when we arranged a flight of massive packing machines totalling nearly 18 tons.

The machines, which were packed in to three crates, were so large that they had to be flown on the super-sized An124 for the flight from Osaka to Hahn in Germany.

For further information on heavy and outsize cargo please contact Justin or call us on +44 (0) 20 8943 9966.

ACS to the rescue in Morocco

The recent earthquake in Morocco gave Air Charter Service another opportunity to demonstrate our expertise in relief work.

On behalf of the Government's Department for International Development (DFID), we flew an Ilyushin 76 in to Nador, close to the Mediterranean city of Al Hoceima, whose rural areas were most badly effected by the 'quake. Ben Dinsdale, Charter Sales Executive, who organised the flight, watched the Russian giant leave from Manston airport with a cargo of 36 tons of much needed tents.

In addition, on behalf of other charity and relief organisations, ACS also flew emergency kits and vehicles on An12's and An26's - part of our managed fleet of aircraft.

For further information on relief flights please contact Ben.

Iranian earthquake

Air Charter Service, based in London, were pleased to be involved with the recent Iranian earthquake relief effort in conjunction with the Government's Department for International Development (DFID). This was Air Charter Service's first operation with DFID since winning the contract last November.

After receiving a call at 8.30am on Boxing Day, Air Charter Service personnel were airborne within thirteen hours with 70 rescue team members, four dogs and seven tons of rescue equipment on board. The Boeing 757 was only the second aircraft in to Kerman, in South Iran, which was 160km from the epicentre in Bam.

As part of the same operation Air Charter Service also flew a DC8 in to Tehran in North Iran containing 34 tons of tents and blankets and an AN12 in to Bam with 12 tons of medical kits.

For more information on relief flights please contact Ben.

Dense Cargo to Kuwait

An incredibly dense cargo was recently flown from Sweden to Kuwait in a flight organised by Air Charter Service based in London.

The cargo made up of steel sheets barely covered the floor of the MD11 and yet weighed the full net payload of 76 tons.

The load, which was only 12m3, was reported to be the densest cargo the handling agents at Skavasta airport in Sweden had ever seen. Justin Lancaster, Account Manager at Air Charter Service in charge of organising the flight commented, 'it was quite amazing to see such a large aircraft with what appeared to so little cargo, and yet, was at its maximum take off weight. It was something I had never seen before!'

For information on heavy & outsize loads please contact Justin.

Elephants to Prague

Andy Holmes one of Air Charter Service experienced brokers took up the challenge of transporting the elephants after being contacted by a Freight Forwarder based in South Africa. One of the challenges he faced was that a number of Civil Aviation Authorities throughout Europe were unhappy about authorising livestock to transit through their country. After much negotiating, Andy was able to fly the elephants to Malpensa in Italy before transporting them on to Prague in the Czech Republic.

The three adolescent female elephants weighing approximately 1700kgs each were transported in their own individual caskets and were lightly sedated for the trip. They were accompanied by two experienced elephant handlers who ensured their wellbeing for the entire journey.

For the final two hour leg of the trip, Air Charter Service used our AN12, part of our managed fleet based in Ostend. Each of the containers was loaded on to a pallet measuring 96 x 125 inches. Pallets, which are normally used on, appropriately, jumbo jets!

Andy Holmes said "Air Charter Service have become experienced in transporting livestock in recent times. In the last few months alone, we have moved chicks, tigers and racehorses. One of the things to consider is that because the AN12 hold is not pressurised, the aircraft has to fly at a lower altitude (13,000 feet) then with normal cargo. Although there were some logistical difficulties to begin with, we are able to use our expertise and contacts to find a solution that is satisfactory to the client and of course the elephants."

The young elephants have now entered a breeding programme at Prague Zoo.

For information on the transportation of livestock please contact Andy.

Tight fit on Ilyushin 76

A single piece of machinery weighing 41 tonnes was recently flown to Salvador in Brazil on an Ilyushin 76 cargo plane.

The operation was planned with the client for a week prior to the flight, due to the unusual dimensions of the load and to ensure that the piece would fit.

The generator, destined for a South American power station and measuring 490cm x 312cm x 360cm, was so large that there was only a finger-width gap from the top of the machinery to the roof of the aircraft once it was loaded.

To discuss your heavy and outsize requirements please contact Justin

The latest addition to our managed fleet in Ostend. Reg: RA 26123

AN 26

This 5.5 ton payload, Russian registered aircraft is currently based at Ostend airport and is available for European wide cargo charters. Aircraft can be airborne within 90 minutes.

AN 12

With a payload of 18 tons, the AN12 is the workhorse of the ACS fleet. Aircraft can be airborne within 90 minutes.

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