CargoLogicAir (CLA), the British all-cargo airline, helped to ensure competitors taking part in the historic 101st Giro d’Italia bike race reached the starting line on-time - in Israel!     

For the first time, the race has commenced outside of Italy with individual time trials for riders in Jerusalem. In total, CLA transported 1,263 pieces of cargo – including bicycles and equipment used by the supporting teams – onboard a Boeing 747-8F charter flight from Milan Malpensa. CargoLogicAir has been a regular all-cargo operator to and from Israel since Q4 2017 when it launched a weekly Tel Aviv service providing a direct link with Europe and connecting services to the Americas and Asia Pacific

Sonigo International Shipping, Packing & Moving Ltd, the nominated logistics company co-ordinating the start of the 2018 race, joined forces with freight forwarding company, Vector, and cargo handler, Alha Group, to ensure all of the strict timescales as well as complex preparation and transportation processes were successfully met.    

The cargo inside CargoLogicAir's 747-8F
The cargo inside CargoLogicAir's 747-8F
The airport cargo terminal operations in Milan were carried out under the supervision of Sonigo, Vector and CargoLogicAir staff, and coordinated by Roberto Pascarella, Alha’s Warehouse Operations Manager, who commented: "Over the past years, the Alha cargo terminal in Malpensa has been a busy hub for Formula 1 and Moto GP air cargo logistics before each competition stage around the world, with very tight schedules. Over time, we have achieved a high level of qualification in these procedures, which require extreme efficiency and great coordination among all operators. This collaboration with Vector is our first important experience for Giro d'Italia and we hope we will have the opportunity to repeat this operation in the future."
Meeting the delivery timescale required close coordination between the CargoLogicAir, Vector and Alha teams. Due to the stringent security measures and the value of the bikes and equipment being transported, the project required an impressive operational commitment involving more than 65 staff and 23 trucks. 

Following the time trials, the bikes and equipment travelled back to Italy for the Catania and Caltagirone stage of the Giro d’Italia. The race will end in Italy on 24 May 2018. 

Dan Litten, Aircraft Charter Broker at Hunt & Palmer Cargo Charters, which ordered the CLA flight, said: “Thank you to all the team for a smooth and professional operation. Our client, along with ourselves, send our thanks to the crew and everyone at CLA for making it a success. We look forward to our next operation with CLA.”