AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) completed a Boeing 747 freighter charter flight for Universal Global Logistics S.A.U. delivering 66 motorcycles on their way to the first round of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, which commenced at the end of February with the Yamaha Finance Australian Round.  

The palletized motorcycles were part of a 110 tonnes payload transported half way around the world from Barcelona, Spain, to Melbourne’s Avalon Airport, Australia, onboard ABC’s B747-8F. AirBridgeCargo’s Load Master dedicated to Race Operations ensured the bikes were fastened securely onto pallets for loading and made the necessary preparations to ensure a fast offloading was possible on arrival in Melbourne, where the Superbike teams continued their journey to the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, their final race day destination. 

Loading the superbikes
Loading the superbikes
“Transportation of bikes is a multi-tiered logistics process which requires strict orchestration of   procedures, alignment of loading/offloading by qualified staff, and monitoring of the entire transportation process with available shipment records on hand at all times and strict delivery time compliance to meet the customers’ expectations and racing schedule. AirBridgeCargo has a proven track record of fast and secure transportation of motorcycles and delivers a customized solution to meet the requirements of this industry. We look forward to developing our cooperation with Universal Global Logistics S.A.U. in support of further motorcycle championships,” stated Eric Lamare, AirBridgeCargo’s Country Manager France, Spain and Portugal. 

 “It was easy to work with ABC as we share the same values and common goals. Operations such as this need to be supported by a professional team and thorough processes that guarantee success for the customer. We are sure that ABC will become one of the main partners of our Sports & Events division,” added Alberto Lopez Azagra, Spain Airfreight Manager at Universal Global Logistics S.A.U.

This was AirBridgeCargo’s latest opportunity to demonstrate its logistics expertise for motorcycle transportation. In 2016, ABC moved the Superbike racing teams from Bangkok to Barcelona, from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, and from Malaysia to the UK’s East Midlands Airport, ensuring the safe and timely delivery of some 480 tonnes of cargo in support of the world championship. It also operated the same Barcelona-Avalon flight in 2017.