CHAPMAN Freeborn Australia has chartered an Antonov AN-124 aircraft to transport four helicopters to Athens to support Greece's fight against wildfires.
The flight marked the first time that four Bell 214B helicopters had ever been transported on a Volga-Dnepr AN-124 in a single operation, reports London's Air Cargo News.
Chapman Freeborn said it cooperated with freighter operator Volga-Dnepr Airlines, helicopter firm McDermott Aviation, airport teams, handling agents, freight forwarders, and government authorities to 'seamlessly' complete the project in a timely manner.
It added that it is rare for AN-124 aircraft to be mobilised on such a compact timescale: 'It usually takes approximately 10 days to prepare the aircraft and cargo for the flight, but in this instance, it was just 72 hours,' the company said.
'Within less than 24 hours of receiving the request, preparation had begun, and just two days after that loading commenced onto the AN124s at Wellcamp and Perth,' Chapman Freeborn said in a statement.
Ekaterina Andreeva, commercial director at Volga-Dnepr Airlines, commented: 'This is the first time in our 30 years of operations [that we have] transported four helicopters on a single occasion, with the loading being done in two steps. [The task] required exquisite workmanship of the loadmasters, technicians, and crew and is only achieved by accurate calculations, powered by experience and respective competence in helicopters' transportations.'
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The flight marked the first time that four Bell 214B helicopters had ever been transported on a Volga-Dnepr AN-124 in a single operation, reports London's Air Cargo News.
Chapman Freeborn said it cooperated with freighter operator Volga-Dnepr Airlines, helicopter firm McDermott Aviation, airport teams, handling agents, freight forwarders, and government authorities to 'seamlessly' complete the project in a timely manner.
It added that it is rare for AN-124 aircraft to be mobilised on such a compact timescale: 'It usually takes approximately 10 days to prepare the aircraft and cargo for the flight, but in this instance, it was just 72 hours,' the company said.
'Within less than 24 hours of receiving the request, preparation had begun, and just two days after that loading commenced onto the AN124s at Wellcamp and Perth,' Chapman Freeborn said in a statement.
Ekaterina Andreeva, commercial director at Volga-Dnepr Airlines, commented: 'This is the first time in our 30 years of operations [that we have] transported four helicopters on a single occasion, with the loading being done in two steps. [The task] required exquisite workmanship of the loadmasters, technicians, and crew and is only achieved by accurate calculations, powered by experience and respective competence in helicopters' transportations.'
SeaNews Turkey
