The charter required a 72 hours response time over the course of a weekend and called for the use of an airline with a self-loading, ramp freighter that was also able to meet the strict Australian civil aviation regulations.
Volga-Dnepr's IL-76TD-90VD was the perfect solution.
Unlike older versions of the IL-76, the modernized IL-76TD-90VD freighter is approved for worldwide operations and flies to and from Australia under an Australian Foreign Operators' Certificate issued by the country's regulatory authority, CASA.
Within hours of receiving the first charter enquiry, Volga Dnepr's commercial and operations departments had reviewed the load plan and taken care of the necessary contractual requirements for the flight. Given the time zone differences (Townsville + 10 and Noumea + 11), Volga-Dnepr's 24-hour operations department was a key element in meeting the rapid response required for the flight.
The IL76TD-90VD arrived at the Australian airfield of Townsville on schedule and thanks to the expertise of the Volga-Dnepr team and the aircraft's unique onboard cranes, loading of the pipes and 20 pieces of construction equipment took only two hours, half the time originally estimated.
A similar two-hour performance was achieved to unload the cargo on arrival on the South Pacific Island of Noumea.
The versatility of the IL76TD-90VD with its specialist onboard loading equipment, ramp loading capability, range/payload, unrestricted access into Australia, and Volga-Dnepr's in-house services such as load planning, 24hr/7day operations and commercial teams meant the emergency charter was successfully completed without any delays.
Having demonstrated the outstanding capability of the IL76TD-90VD to the Australia, Volga-Dnepr now expects its modernized fleet to be a regular visitor 'Down Under'.
