African charter service provider Air Bonanza Express has configured its IL-76 freighter for airdrop operations following a surge in demand for the service.
Air Bonanza Express chief executive Boniface Kimani told Air Cargo News that over the last few months, the company had experienced an influx of requests for humanitarian airdrops within South Sudan, as well as other countries in Africa.
"Depending on various factors, we will be able to airdrop between 25-32 tons of relief cargo per flight and conduct two flights daily, circumstances permitting," Kimani said.
"Besides the flight crew, we have put together an expert team in airdrops to ensure efficiency and safety."
The company was involved in a similar programme last year for an international humanitarian organisation.
"We worked very closely with the client from the inception, planning, coordination and implementation stage," said Kimani. "Air drops are complex and require a great deal of planning and accuracy to achieve both safety in the air and on the ground and as well as meeting the customers’ expectations."
He added that the company has been growing in recent years through its work with governments, humanitarian organisations and freight forwarders.
In June, the company shifted the base of its IL-76 freighter aircraft to cater for demand out of Chad and the Ivory Coast.
The aircraft has previously been based in Ghana, where it was catering for demand from the United Nations for its peace-keeping operation in Mali, and Kenya and South Sudan.
As well as the IL-76 aircraft, Air Bonanza Express also offers capacity on a Mi-26T heavy transport helicopter.
The Russian-built helicopter is the largest serial production in the world. The Mi-26T cargo variant offers a large payload capacity of around 20 tons and rear loading doors.
It has also been in negotiations over possibly leasing a Boeing 767-300 freighter.
