From ensuring kegs across central America remained full to the brim, to transporting a greater kudu to its new home with conservationists in Chile, our Cargo division have certainly been busy this year.
Kudus and brewing and engines — we fly! 2024’s most exciting cargo charters
2024 has been both an eventful and exciting year for Air Charter Service (ACS), and our Cargo Charter division has been no exception to this. We sat down with members of our Cargo division to learn about some of their charter highlights from the past twelve months. From ensuring kegs across central America remained full to the brim, to transporting a greater kudu to its new home with conservationists in Chile, our Cargo division have certainly been busy this year.
Hopping to support a Mexican brewery
When a Mexican brewery’s hop supply was threatened by supply chain issues, a freight forwarder turned to us to keep the brewery’s production line from grinding to a halt. With just four days to transport 100 tonnes of temperature-controlled Belgian hops across the Atlantic, the cargo division hopped, skipped, and jumped into action.
The team’s tailor-made solution involved transporting the 136 pallets on board a Boeing 747-400BCF from Liège to Mexico City. Maintaining a constant temperature of between freezing and 7°C was crucial to prevent spoilage, adding an extra complication to the charter; despite these stipulations, ACS’s cargo division were able to leverage their connections to secure a last-minute flight permit, and source a Boeing converted freighter to ensure a swift delivery of the hops.
On the day of the flight, the ACS Cargo team was on hand to load the pallets onto the aircraft, ensuring that everything went to plan at the point of departure. The plane departed promptly, arriving in Mexico a short time later, and just in time to avert a production halt. The team’s ability to secure the air charter within four hours of the request further strengthens their reputation for being able to manage urgent and complex logistics with precision and expertise; this seamless operation underscores their commitment to maintaining their clients’ supply chains, even under the tightest of deadlines.
Delivering relief aid to flood-ravaged Brazil
When extreme weather in the southern-Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul caused widespread devastation, leaving hundreds of towns underwater, our Cargo division was called upon to deliver 600kg of urgently needed relief aid. With many of the state’s main towns and cities adjacent to the River Guaíba (whose burst banks caused the devastation), a complex logistical plan was put into action by the team here at ACS. With the river having flooded the runways of a number of local airports, the Cargo division had to quickly source an alternative route to deliver the humanitarian supplies from São Paolo to the affected region.
Having identified an operational aeroclub runway in Porto Alegre, the state capital, the team sourced a Cessna Grand Caravan for the relief mission. Whilst under constant threat of weather cancelling the flight before it departed, the team ensured that the cargo was safely and carefully loaded on to the aircraft, securing the boxes with safety belts, with the team back in the office closely monitoring weather conditions in Porto Alegre, ready to divert the aircraft if necessary. Fortunately, the weather was calm enough for the flight to proceed without interruption, meaning the aid arrived on schedule, ready for distribution to those in need. The Cargo division’s decisive action and rapid response in formulating and confirming a charter solution within an hour of the request meant that vital supplies reached their destination in time. Whilst a complex and urgent logistical task, our decades of experience in disaster relief meant that the team were able to leverage local contacts and knowledge to deliver the aid in the quickest and most efficient way possible.
Moving music merchandise across continents
When an event organiser faced a time-sensitive puzzle of needing to transport 30 tonnes of pop concert merchandise from Hong Kong to a concert in Alabama, ACS’s cargo division picked up the gauntlet. After another charter brokerage had failed to secure an aircraft for the charter, the team took immediate action to find a solution that met the client’s tight deadline. Managing to secure the only aircraft (a Boeing 747-400F) capable of handling such a large shipment within the timeframe, the cargo team swiftly arranged for an agent in Hong Kong to both build and pack the metal pallets, and coordinate airport clearances. Simultaneously, the team in the office liaised with ground handlers at the airport in Huntsville, Alabama (HSV) to ensure that the freight would take priority in clearing customs promptly on arrival.
As a result of the team’s quick thinking, action, and industry connections, they were able to confirm a solution for the client within two days of the complicated and urgent request. The cargo division’s seamless coordination ensured that the merchandise was delivered in more than enough time for the concert, bolstering their reputation for managing complex, time-sensitive logistics with precision and efficiency. The success of this charter rests partly on our three decades of industry experience and firm relationships, showing that, even in the face of complications, and adversity, ACS’s cargo division is able to succeed in situations and tasks where other brokerages have failed.
An intercontinental kudu
When the director of a Memphis zoo needed to transport an eight-month-old greater kudu called Linus to his new home at a conservation centre in Chile, ACS’s charter division was tasked with finding a swift and cost-effective solution for this adolescent antelope. The team quickly deduced that Linus’s crate was too large to travel on a commercial aircraft, so they speedily set about devising a specialised plan to transport Linus to his new home. The journey began in Memphis, Tennessee, where the team secured the charter of a Boeing 767 to fly Linus to Miami, where he enjoyed an overnight stay in a USDA-approved facility, before continuing his trip aboard a Boeing 747 to his final destination of Santiago de Chile.
Throughout the sensitive charter, our team’s top priority was ensuring Linus’s comfort and safety; his crate was carefully transferred between stopovers by forklifts and high loaders, providing 24/7 communication with both the client and the operator. ACS’s cargo charter consultant accompanied Linus on his trip, alongside the zoo director and a veterinarian, to ensure the trip went smoothly. The seamless coordination, appropriate, and bespoke travel solution the cargo division arranged for Linus goes some way to show ACS’s commitment to finding the most comprehensive and efficient solutions for our clients, even in the most unusual of circumstances.
A new engine for a grounded Peruvian plane
When ACS’s charter division was tasked with returning a Peruvian plane grounded due to engine failure to the skies, the team set about finding a speedy solution. The client had sourced the ten-tonne replacement engine from a supplier in the United States, but enlisted the help of ACS to expedite delivery to Lima in order to return the plane to service. Quickly sourcing an Antonov AN-12, capable of managing the outsize cargo, and ensuring that research was undertaken to ensure that the engine would have clearance through the rear door, the team liaised at lightning speed with the operator, the ground handler in Peru and the client in the U.S. to expedite the necessary permits due to the urgent need for the freight.
Within a week of the initial requests, the permits had been secured, the engine had been loaded on to the AN-12 and was on its way to Lima. The engines were swapped on the tarmac in Peru, after which the fault engine was immediately loaded onto the same aircraft for return to the client’s supplier in New York City. The team’s rapid response, and quick organisational skills meant that the client received a quote on the same day as they submitted the request, and the team even managed to accommodate the loading of additional repair equipment onto the same flight. In maintaining constant communication with both the client and operator, the cargo team was able to deliver an excellent result for their client, ensuring that aircraft downtime was kept to an absolute minimum.
Flying five-tonne tools to a Mexican oil well
When a freight forwarder urgently needed to transport a mammoth five-tonne tooling basket from a supplier in South America to an oil production plant in Mexico, ACS’s charter division sprang into action. With experience telling the charter consultants that the cargo would require an aircraft capable of handling overweight and outsized loads; the team speedily suggested the Antonov AN-12 as the ideal solution as the AN-12 was able to meet the client’s tight timeframe, and also their budget requirements.
Having swiftly sourced an AN-12, collaborating with the appropriate authorities to secure expedited permits, the team were able to break even their own speed record. Within 20 minutes of receiving the request, the cargo charter consultant had devised a straightforward solution from the client, and subsequently obtained all required permits within 24 hours of the request. The charter flew without a hitch, and with expert handlers ensuring that the heavy-duty forklifts securely loaded and unloaded the tooling basket at each end, the team was able to surpass client expectations.
At ACS, solving your charter conundrums is our raison d’être. With three decades of experience, and a global network over 30 offices, we are able to leverage our extensive local experience in your areas and market to provide the most appropriate charter solutions for our clients. Whether you have a continent-crossing kudu to move, or a drill bit the size of a car to deliver, our Cargo division works tirelessly to ensure that our clients receive the most appropriate and efficient charter solutions in record time. To discuss your cargo charter requirements, contact your local ACS cargo charter consultants today.