October 16 - Volga-Dnepr Airlines transported three Mi-8 helicopters for the latest United Nations (UN) emergency health mission in response to the Ebola virus outbreak.
The flight was operated using one of Volga-Dnepr's AN-124 Ruslan freighters from Moscow to Freetown in Sierra Leone.
To load the helicopters into the cargo hold of the AN-124, Volga-Dnepr applied a loading plan specially developed for the carriage of rotor-wing machines. This involved demounting lifting and tail propellers, vibration absorbers, fuel tanks, and removing fluids from the shock struts and wheels. This reduced the height of the helicopter enabling each one to be loaded onboard the aircraft, alongside the demounted equipment.
The helicopters will be used to support the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) established in late September to fight the outbreak of the virus in western Africa.
