AIRBRIDGECARGO Airlines recently employed Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) - Hong Kong's largest independent cargo terminal - to handle two charter flights each carrying 20-metre machinery components weighing 18,800 kilogrammes.
The outsize loads were carried on two of the airline's new B747-8 freighters from Amsterdam Schiphol to Hong Kong before reaching Guangzhou their final destination.
Due to their length, the machinery components were secured to customised built up pallets and had to be unloaded through the aircraft's nose doors.
Unable to use cranes due to local regulations, Hactl deployed four main-deck loaders, which had to be lowered in perfect alignment to avoid any damage to the cargo.
Maneuvering the unloaded cargo from aircraft side to the cargo terminal was another big problem. Traffic on the ramp road was temporarily re-routed, and a direct path to the terminal was cordoned off, to provide a straight journey without any sharp turns.
Said Hactl chief operating officer Chee Hong Tan: 'These were among the longest shipments we have unloaded from B747 freighters, and required extreme care due to their size, weight and delicate nature.'
Said AirBridgeCargo general director Sergey Lazarev: 'Thanks to our expertise and the development of our abcXL product, we are able to guarantee safe and seamless services, powered by support from Hactl.'
The outsize loads were carried on two of the airline's new B747-8 freighters from Amsterdam Schiphol to Hong Kong before reaching Guangzhou their final destination.
Due to their length, the machinery components were secured to customised built up pallets and had to be unloaded through the aircraft's nose doors.
Unable to use cranes due to local regulations, Hactl deployed four main-deck loaders, which had to be lowered in perfect alignment to avoid any damage to the cargo.
Maneuvering the unloaded cargo from aircraft side to the cargo terminal was another big problem. Traffic on the ramp road was temporarily re-routed, and a direct path to the terminal was cordoned off, to provide a straight journey without any sharp turns.
Said Hactl chief operating officer Chee Hong Tan: 'These were among the longest shipments we have unloaded from B747 freighters, and required extreme care due to their size, weight and delicate nature.'
Said AirBridgeCargo general director Sergey Lazarev: 'Thanks to our expertise and the development of our abcXL product, we are able to guarantee safe and seamless services, powered by support from Hactl.'