To celebrate a remarkable year in cargo and demonstrate what we can achieve for our customers, we’ve put together a selection of our top cargo charters for 2022.
ACS's Cargo Charters of 2022
Our cargo division has had another successful year in 2022, generating 44% more revenue over the first six months of the financial year (1 February to 31 July) compared to 2021 – which had already seen record-breaking results. This year we’ve also consolidated our specialist urgent cargo products under a new sub-brand, ACS Time Critical.
From huge aircraft wings to tiny chicks, at the heart of this growth is being able to help our customers move all sorts of cargo all over the world and filling in the void when supply chains are disrupted. Throughout 2022, our award-winning team has delivered consignments efficiently and on time, often following last-minute requests.
To celebrate a remarkable year and demonstrate what we can achieve for our customers, we’ve put together a selection of our most memorable cargo charters from 2022. We look forward to arranging thousands more in 2023!
Relief charters are in our DNA and over the years we’ve flown thousands of tonnes of aid cargo to and from areas impacted by social unrest, war and natural disasters. In January, we overcame limited aircraft availability and Covid-19 restrictions to organise three flights transporting humanitarian supplies from Malaysia to communities in the Philippines hit by a devastating tropical cyclone.
Just two months later, we were asked to help fly 25 tonnes of relief aid to Ukrainian refugees in Poland who were fleeing the Russian invasion. Find out how quickly our team acted and had an aircraft ready to go via the link below.
From rhinos to lions, we’ve relocated all sorts of wild animals, but perhaps never any this small – or young! This year a freight forwarder asked us to arrange a charter carrying day-old chicks from a hatchery in South Africa to Tanzania.
Due to the live nature of the cargo, we needed to ensure the time-sensitive flight was meticulously planned with the correct logistics in place to protect the animals’ welfare during transit. Click below to learn how the chicks got on during their first flight.
However big or small your cargo, our expert team will work tirelessly to find a solution. This year, we stepped in to help an aerospace manufacturer move an enormous partial aircraft wing from Florida to Washington. With time of the essence to keep the supply chain moving, we quickly sourced a nose-loading Boeing B747-400F that was ideal for the 47-foot cargo.
Sometimes a cargo’s weight creates more of a hurdle than its size. As well as transporting 15 tonnes of fireworks and party supplies from France to Senegal, this year we worked around the clock to find an Antonov An-26 that could fly a five-tonne oil pipe from Belgium to the Ivory Coast at short notice. The pipe was delivered on time, despite having to incorporate several fuel stops along the way due to its weight.
With many countries reopening their borders, it’s easy to forget that Covid-19 tests and vaccines are still critical for health services around the world. We helped deliver thousands of vital tests and vaccines throughout 2021 and have continued to do so this year.
In January, we assisted a freight forwarder working on behalf of the Greek government to transport 150,000 donated Covid-19 vaccines vaccines to Gabon in Central Africa. Then later in the year, we arranged over 65 charter flights over a six-week period carrying 3,000 tonnes of tests from China to Australia.
A grounded aircraft costs a business every minute it’s inoperable. Whether it’s a cargo plane with a faulty engine or a commercial plane that needs new tyres, our award-winning cargo experts specialise in arranging AOG (aircraft on ground) charters to quickly get things moving again.
Our expertise was put to the test when a global low-cost airline’s jet suffered an engine failure in Reykjavík. The airline needed an urgent wet lease solution to cover the stricken aircraft’s scheduled flights, as well as a charter to fly in a replacement engine and get it back in the air. Find out how we got this urgent cargo to the customer fast.
Sometimes moving goods by sea is too slow – even if the cargo in question is a boat! In June, we were asked to help fly a boat prototype from Australia to an exhibition in the United States. Delays meant sea freight wouldn’t get it there in time, so we worked around the clock to source a Boeing B747 and arranged a truck to transport the boat once it was on land.
A month later, two boats needed to get from Italy to Uzbekistan for the inauguration of a new luxury tourist complex. In addition to the unusually large and bulky cargo, this tricky operation was made even more complicated by an equipment failure at the airport, but our experienced team came up with an alternative solution and delivered the boats in time.
Organising cargo charters is often more complicated than just sourcing an aircraft. In April, we helped a shipping company to fly spare parts and two engineers from Singapore to a US naval base in the Indian Ocean, where they were needed to repair a beached ship that was responsible for supplying provisions to the remote facility.
A versatile Gulfstream G150 was available for the job, but wasn’t ready to accommodate the cargo and passengers. We sprung into action and organised the removal of two seats from the aircraft to make space for the cargo, which could be loaded through the jet’s front door.