Cargolux flies horses to Asian Games

21 August, 2018: Cargolux recently flew high value race horses from Luxembourg to Jakarta, Indonesia, where they participated in the Asian games. The four-legged sports stars will compete in the equestrian part of the Games which is being held in Jakarta from August 18th to September 2nd. This competition, based on the Olympic Games format, is held every four years in an Asian or Middle Eastern city and gathers the best athletes from across the region.

The part-charter operation, which was operated in conjunction with JIT-EX, required careful preparation and planning to avoid causing the animals distress during the transport. The cargo operator said in a press release that to ensure the flight went smoothly, it counted on its state-of-the-art HMC horse stalls and the dedicated CV alive team that specialises in the intricacies of live animal transportation. The custom-designed HMC stalls provide increased stability and their double layer pallet base reduces the motion feeling for the horses, greatly reducing the stress the animals feel compared to traditional single layer pallets.

With its skilled staff, professional standards and customised horse stalls, all the requirements were met to guarantee an optimal flight.

Cargolux is a member of ATA, the Animal Transport Association, whose aim is to ensure that animal handlers and attendants are fully qualified. The ad hoc shipment was routed directly from Luxembourg to Jakarta which required attentive preparation from the Cargolux Charter team, since Jakarta is not part of the regular scheduled destination catalogue. Authorisations and paperwork had to be requested before the flight to ensure minimal flight disruption and subsequent animal discomfort.

Cargolux transports about 3,000 horses a year. With up to three horses per horse stall, the airline can accommodate 84 horses on its Boeing 747-400 freighters and up to 90 on the 747-8F.