Emirates SkyCargo gets World Equestrian Games off to a flying start
03 / 09 / 2018
Dubai-based Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates Airline, has transported 67 horses on one of its Boeing 777 freighter aircraft from Liege to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina in the US for the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018.
This was the first of 19 charter flights that the carrier will provide, moving a total of 550 horses participating in the competition.
Emirates SkyCargo noted that this is “the largest air horse charter that has been undertaken for a single sporting event”. Another 270 horses will travel overland to the venue.
FEI President Ingmar De Vos said: “These horses are finely-tuned equine athletes and are not only very valuable, but they must arrive in peak competition condition, just like their human counterparts.”
Emirates SkyCargo worked with international horse transportation specialist Peden Bloodstock and highlighted its compliance with IATA’s Live Animal Regulations.
The animals travelled in customised stalls, with independently air conditioned zones to ensure their comfort.
FEI noted that besides the horses themselves, freight carried from Europe to Tryon will total 123,500 tonnes of equipment, including saddles, bridles, rugs and grooming kits, wheelbarrows and pitch forks, horse shoes and all-terrain studs, as well as 51 tonnes of feed, in-flight snacks and 20 litres of water per horse.
Read more about how airfreight powered the FEI World Equestrian Games.
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