Antonov transports automotive parts as demand picks up

Antonov Airlines has transported 80 tonnes of automotive parts from Southeast Asia to the US as manufacturing plants begin to reopen.

The flight saw an AN-124-100 pick up 40 tonnes of in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and a further 40 tonnes in Hanoi, Vietnam, before transporting the parts to Ohio.

It took four days to complete the route with technical stops required in Japan and Alaska to accommodate crew rests and aircraft refuelling before reaching Ohio.

Antonov said there has been an increase in demand across the globe for automotive parts since the beginning of 2021 as vehicle manufacturing resumes after slowing in 2020.

Iryna Kyianytsia, commercial executive at Antonov Airlines, said: “We have seen an increase in demand for automotive cargo, and a double pick-up is not usual in the day-to-day operations of the AN-124-100.

“There were additional challenges ensuring compliance with COVID-19 restrictions in different nations.”

Aircraft crew received rapid Covid-19 tests during each rest window prior to receiving clearance to travel to the next technical stop airport.

The flights were chartered by The Flight Lab Aviation Consulting.

“These flights were not your run-of-the-mill charters,” said Adam Green, founder and chief executive at The Flight Lab Aviation Consulting LLC. “Due to the nature of the cargo and the double pick-up in two different countries, the planning had to be precise and executed perfectly.

“All of the cargo was Just-In-Time, to support a large automotive manufacturer; with the help of the consignee V. Alexander in the USA, each flight went off without a hitch.”

Share this story

Related Topics

Latest automotive supply chains news

Air Charter Service notes changing automotive supply chains

Charter broker Air Charter Service (ACS) has noticed a change in electric vehicle (EV) supply chains since the start of…

Read More

Share this story

Qatar Cargo revs up with new automotive product

Qatar Cargo has launched a new product catering for the transport vehicles. The carrier’s new Drive product will cater for…

Read More

Share this story

Rock-It acquires Dell Will Customs Brokers

Rock-It Global, the provider of time-critical freight forwarding and logistics services for the live event, entertainment, sports, and broadcast industries,…

Read More

Share this story

Damian Brett

Damian Brett
I have been writing about the freight and logistics industry since 2007 when I joined International Freighting Weekly to cover the shipping sector.After a stint in PR, I have gone on to work for Containerisation International and Lloyds List - where I was editor of container shipping - before joining Air Cargo News in 2015.Contact me on [email protected]