UK-based cargo charter specialist 26AVIATION has arranged the charter of a 747-400F operating from Zhengzhou, China on its inaugural flight to the UAE, where it received a water-cannon welcome at Al-Maktoum airport, in Dubai last week.

The aircraft was paying its first visit to the UAE, and was carrying 90 tons of urgent humanitarian cargo that had been stranded in China due to the ongoing air freight crisis that has plagued the region in recent weeks.

Following multiple cargo terminal closures, staff quarantine shortages and even rumours of full suspensions throughout the major Chinese cargo hubs, the charter specialist’s dilemma wasn’t based purely on short notice aircraft availability, but also on finding an airport and cargo terminal to handle the flight.

26AVIATION’s Managing Director, Sam Heather, commented on the challenges that were faced securing widebody charter capacity out of China at such short notice:

“We focus on providing creative, outside-of-the-box cargo solutions, which is why our customer approached us to solve the problem of getting 90 tons of aid out of China on a go-now basis. Given the issues being seen in the region currently, we had to dig very deep to find a suitable solution.

It was absolutely critical that we used a carrier who had a strong presence in China, as well as an airport that avoided the rapidly escalating disruptions in Shanghai, Nanjing, and Tianjin. We worked in close cooperation with our GSA partner, the carrier and handling agents in both Zhengzhou and Dubai to ensure that the cargo was delivered within the urgent timeframes required.

In fact, our charter was the carrier’s inaugural flight with their brand-new approval to operate to the UAE, meaning that we were welcomed with a water cannon salute – a first for 26AVIATION”

ABOUT 26AVIATION

26AVIATION is a bespoke, London-based air charter specialist that combines wide-ranging experience and aviation intelligence to provide creative cargo solutions to the worldwide logistics sector. 26AVIATION’s vision is to deliver quantifiable value to global supply chains by providing innovative, outside-of-the-box aircraft solutions.

Launched in 2020 by its founder, cargo charter expert and life-long aviation enthusiast Sam Heather, 26AVIATION has grown rapidly from a small start-up to a multi-million dollar company, thanks to its intelligent and creative approach to aircraft sourcing.

For fast, creative, and outside-of-the-box charter solutions that add REAL value to your supply chain, contact our charter team on

Tel: +44 (0) 208 050 7478 (24H)

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.26aviation.com

Or contact us here

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