Ukrainian cargo airline Antonov Airlines recently completed the delivery of two Max Bögl TSB maglev trains from Munich, Germany to the Chengdu Xinzhu Road & Bridge Machinery company in China, in cooperation with KN Airlift GmbH.

Taking into consideration the dimensions of the lightweight hi-tech train sections as 12.6 x 2.8 x 3.7 metres per section, plus a total payload of about 36 tonnes, such transportation was only made possible through the use of an AN-124-100 aircraft.

A mammoth delivery such as this requires unique loading equipment, meaning that the special loading and offloading technology and equipment designed by Antonov Airlines was used to place the train sections inside the aircraft.

Also, a special strap scheme was designed to secure the trains inside the aircraft and transport them safely during the flight. On its way to China the aircraft landed at Almaty, Kazakhstan for refueling and crew rest.

Sales & operations manager at KN Airlift Timo Kaden commented: “This exciting project was based on long-term perfect teamwork from all parties involved. We highly appreciate the professional performance from our valued partner Antonov Airlines.”

Antonov Airlines commercial director Andriy Blagovisniy added: “For Antonov Airlines this project was both challenging and interesting at the same time. Its realisation required careful preparation and performance of the flight strictly in accordance with the confirmed schedule. This air shipment became especially unusual during the time of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. We thank our customer KN Airlift for its continued trust and effective cooperation.”

Antonov Airlines specialises in the transportation of outsized and project cargo worldwide using its fleet of seven AN-124-100 Ruslan aircraft, with up to 150 tonnes payload. It can also count on its 60-tonne payload AN-22, and unique 250-tonne payload AN-225 Mriya, the largest aircraft in the world, as well as the smaller AN-74 and AN-26 aircraft.

More than 30 years after launching as the first company to offer the AN-124-100 commercially, the airline continues to deliver air cargo solutions across the aerospace, defence, energy, humanitarian, industrial, automotive and oil and gas sectors.

Find out more at https://www.antonov-airlines.com/