NewsWeek Moscow-based cargo carriers keep busy


TURKISH AIRLINES has placed an order for a further 15 A330 aircraft. The aircraft will be operated on medium to long-haul routes from its home hub at Istanbul.


CARIBBEAN AIRLINES is to add a third weekly connection between London and Port of Spain on 20 November. The route is flown by a B767-300ER.


DUBAI AIRPORTS confirmed the closure of both runways at Dubai International airport on Wednesday 10 October between 06:45 and 08:30. The closures were caused by the failure of a critical runway backup system required during foggy conditions. 50 flights were diverted to gateways in the surrounding region.


SCHEDULED cargo carrier AirBridgeCargo has reported that September was a record month for its shipping of cars. The airline, part of the


Moscow-based Volga-Dnepr Group, flew 20 cars from its hub at Sheremetyevo Interna- tional airport to destinations across Europe, North America and Asia on board its B747 freighters. Eight vehicles were flown


to the destinations of Chicago, Munich, Frankfurt and Paris following the Moscow Inter- national Automobile Salon, while other cars were flown to destinations including Milan and Tokyo.


“The fact that our airline


has been singled out from the other carriers to move these vehicles is a reflection of our reputation in the market as a trustworthy airline with a proven track record,” com- mented Tatyana Arslanova, ABC’s executive president. “We have carried cars ever


since we launched commercial flights in 2004 and this is now an extremely important and growing industry sector for AirBridgeCargo and our freight forwarding customers,” she added. Meanwhile, ABC’s parent


company, the Volga-Dnepr Group, has announced the various category winner of its photographic competition


that was organised to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the AN-124’s maiden flight. The Grand Prix winner was


the picture above taken by Bulgarian Ognyan Stefanov of one of the airline’s AN-124- 100 freighters taking off at


Sofia International airport. And in other news, another


part of the Group – Volga-Dnepr Technics (VDT) – has opened a new aircraft line maintenance facility at Frankfurt-Main airport.


Finnair cuts emissions with lighweight ULDs


FINNAIR has chosen Nordisk Aviation Products to provide it with lightweight unit load devices (ULDs) as part of its ‘weight watchers’ initiative to improve fuel effi- ciency and to cut emissions. Expecting to start taking


delivery of the new ULDs before the end of this year, Finnair committed itself to reducing CO2


emissions by 24


percent in the period between 2009 and 2017. Nordisk will be supplying


UltraLite AKE containers. These weigh 55kg, approxi- mately 25kg lighter than the containers that Finland’s flag- carrier currently uses. Ville Iho, chief operating


officer of Finnair, observes: “Our partnership with Nordisk helps us to meet our fuel efficiency and environ- mental targets, while also


supporting smooth ground operations so important for transfer traffic.” Peter Grau, Nordisk’s vice


president of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, added his appreciation that the new deal would extend the company’s work with Finnair


for many more years to come. n In September, Finnair flew


a total of 12,460 tonnes of cargo, 6.9 percent less than in the same month of 2011. Traffic as measured in revenue tonne-km was also down year- on-year by 6.9 percent. With capacity down by 11.6 per- cent, the load factor actually rose year-on-year by 3.6 per- cent, however, to 69.7 percent.


IAG shipment a masterpiece of careful organisation


A PRECIOUS cargo of 50 oil paintings has been safely transported from Ecuador to Madrid by joint UK - Spanish freight carrier IAG Cargo. IAG said that it ensured the


work by Ecuadorian artist Oswoldo Guayasamin, the paintings and their protective packaging weighing in at a total of 6.2 tonnes, arrived


safely in the south-western Spanish city of Cadiz, where the art will be exhibited in Santa Catalina Castle. The display is part of the


Iberia-sponsored Bicentennial celebrations of the drafting of Spain’s first written Constitu- tion in the city. Artworks require special packaging and handling to


prevent damage during trans- portation and the paintings were packed to protect them against temperature changes and vibrations. Kept in a vertical position


during the flight, the artwork was then transported in air- conditioned lorries equipped with suspension systems to their final destination.


Page 6


15 October 2012


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