April 9 - JSC Transafe Logistics, in cooperation Aviacon Zitotrans, has airfreighted a 46 tonne gas turbine rotor between Russia and Korea using an IL-76TD freighter.
The shipment was the heaviest single unit ever uplifted by a Russian IL-76TD aircraft, according to Transafe Logistics.
The rotor was transported from Nizhnevartovsk, Russia to Korea. The time sensitive nature of the shipment meant air freight was the preferred mode of transport to ensure timely delivery. The rotor was returned to Russia by IL-76TD when it was no longer required. The entire project took three weeks to execute.
The most challenging part of the project, according to Denis Veraksich of Transafe Logistics, was to ensure the gross weight of the rotor and its transportation rack did not exceed 46 tonnes. The rack was designed and manufactured by the carrier to ensure it could sustain multiple loading/unloading procedures, trucking, pre-carriage and on-carriage without compromising the integrity of the cargo. Also, a customised ramp was built to enable the rotor to be rolled safely onto and off the aircraft.
