Ruslan International, the joint marketing venture for AN-124 aircraft capacity launched by Volga-Dnepr Airlines and Antonov Airlines, needed all of its technical expertise to transport this 65 tonne Power House from East Midlands in the UK to N'Djamena, Republic of Chad.
The 23 meter long shipment was carried on board a Volga-Dnepr Airlines aircraft to an Exxon Mobil project site in Chad. With no crane equipment to lift such heavy pieces of cargo at its destination in Central Africa, Volga-Dnepr's engineering division developed a 'crane-less' offloading procedure to facilitate the transfer of the load from the AN-124 aircraft's extension ramp onto the back of a rollerbed truck for the final leg of its journey.
The flight was organized by Geodis in association with Birmingham-based charter broker, Aviation Consultants.
Dennis Gliznoutsa, Vice President of Ruslan International, said: 'Volga-Dnepr and Antonov Airlines have performed more than 70 flights to Chad in support of this project since 2001/2, serving N'Djamena from Houston, Luxembourg, Ostend, East Midlands and Paris. This particular shipment was made possible thanks to the unique equipment our technicians have developed and the experience of Volga-Dnepr's engineers.'
