deugro, an expert in freight forwarding and project logistics solutions, transported 13 plant components from Italy and Belgium to Saudi Arabia within a week.
Due to the dimensions of the cargo, which were heat exchanger modules, the best way to transport them was with Antonov aircraft, an AN-225, which were in shortage due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Despite technical challenges, deugro deployed the AN-124-100 to operate air charter flights from Italy and Belgium to Saudi Arabia. As the cargo hold of an AN-124-100 is not fully pressurized, the deugro team checked with the suppliers’ engineers to ensure the in-flight conditions in the cargo hold, including the temperature and pressure change rates, which were suitable for the modules to be transported.
Upon arrival at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, the flights were quickly unloaded; it took three to five hours per aircraft. The local deugro team along with the plant operator, the airport authorities, and the ground handler ensured smooth unloading of the cargo.