Looking at serious aspects as well as the lighter side of air cargo, the human interest stories and some ideas on what people are thinking


AEI to convert second B737-400SF for ATRAN Cargo Airlines


US-BASED aircraft conver- sion house Aeronautical Engineers, Inc (AEI) has been selected by California- headquartered


lessor


Aviation Capital Group to provide a second B737- 400SF (Special Freighter)


conversion for operation by


ATRAN Cargo Airlines – part of Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Group. The Russian-certified 11-


pallet configuration aircraft will include an Ancra equipped main deck cargo


loading system and will be able to carry more full-height ULD containers than any other B737-400 conversion, an AEI statement said. Robert Convey, vice presi-


dent of sales and marketing at the conversion company,


noted: “With the ability to carry 10 AAA full height con- tainers, one more than the competition, the AEI design appears to be the mar- ket’s preferred 737-400SF conversion.” The aircraft is currently


undergoing freighter modifi- cation at AEI’s Authorized Conversion Center, Flight- star Aircraft Services, in Florida. ATRAN Cargo Airlines is


the first carrier in Russia to oper- ate a B737-400SF. The first of the two aircraft of this type is also being converted by AEI and leased by Aviation Capital Group (ACW, 7 May, p3).


RUSSIAN carrier AirBridge- Cargo Airlines (ABC), another part of Volga-Dnepr Group, recently moved a walrus from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo gate- way to Frankfurt-Main airport in Germany, in order for the animal to receive urgent dental treatment at Tierpark Hagen- beck in Hamburg. Sgata-Neseyka, a rare sub-


species of Atlantic walrus, weighed in at 520kg and was carried in a purpose-built trans- portation cage (in accordance with the live animal regulations stipulated by the International Air Transport Association)


ETIHAD Cargo, the freight-carrying arm of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, recently transported two traditional Arabian dhow sail- ing vessels to Ireland for the Volvo Ocean Race finale. Each of the craft measured 22 feet (6.7


metres) in length and they weighed a total of a tonne. The shipment was carried on an Etihad Cargo A330-200F charter from the airline’s home hub to Shannon in County Clare. According to Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways


The airline offers regular


links between its Moscow Domodedovo hub and the European cities of Leipzig and Luxembourg. In addi- tion, ATRAN provides


charter services covering Rus- sia, the CIS countries, Europe and the Middle East. It also delivers from air-


port to door using its own fleet of trucks.


...and ABC takes Atlantic walrus to the dentist


on one of the airline’s B747- 400 freighter aircraft. The cabin temperature was


maintained at between +5ºC and +10ºC throughout the flight. The director of Udmurtskiy


Zoo – where Sgata-Neseyka was hand-reared after losing its mother – and one of the crea- ture’s keepers accompanied the walrus on the journey to ensure its comfort and wellbe- ing.


ABC said that the dental


patient arrived in Frankfurt safely, on time and in good health.


Etihad Cargo moves traditional dhows for race finale


chief strategy and planning officer, Etihad Cargo regularly carries valuable and cultural artefacts. This latest Etihad charter “was a complex


project that involved carefully placing the dhows into containers, loading them onto the aircraft and then flying them to Ireland”, he


commented. n Etihad Airways is a lead sponsor of the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team, which took part in the event.


Page 12


16 July 2012


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