AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has successfully flown 66 giraffes onboard one of its Boeing 747 freighters.
The charter flight was operated at the end of July from South Africa’s O. R. Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg to Zhengzhou, China, via ABC’s Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport cargo hub.
The 66 baby giraffes, collectively weighing around 38 tonnes, were on their way to various animal parks in the Zhengzhou region.
With each giraffe up to three metres in height, special transportation containers were provided by the customer to ensure their comfort, safety and well-being throughout the process.
The long-necked animals travelled in groups of three in each container and were accompanied by animal specialists as well as a plentiful supply of water and nutritious food during their journey.
A dedicated ABC CARE team ensured all of the flight and handling procedures were organized in compliance with IATA’s Live Animals Regulations and provided their expertise to complete the required documentation for the transportation.
ABC general director, Sergey Lazarev said: “Each time we organize a dedicated charter flight with live animals onboard, we fully understand the high level of our responsibility to ensure their safety and well-being.
“We also must show our customers that their trust is us as experienced logistics practitioners for such important cargoes is well placed and in full compliance with international industry standards.
“In the first half of 2018, we witnessed an 18% increase in the transportation of live animals, which reflects our reputation as a proven and reliable service provider for these specialist air cargo services.”
BSI Logistics (Tianjin) Limited, airfreight manager, Jasmine Zhang, ABC’s customer for the flight said: “We’re happy to see our lovely giraffes starting their new lives in China. Thankfully, they are all safe and healthy. We really appreciate ABC’s hard work, professional assistance and support. We think our best choice is to choose your charter service for our next shipment.”
AirBridgeCargo Airlines have been strengthening its position in the live animals transportation market through its dedicated abc CARE service, realigning its internal procedures, gaining required quality certificates, and organising deliveries to meet even the most challenging customer requirements.
