Branson International Inc. recently completed a challenging air freight shipment from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL). The shipment consisted of 9 pieces with a total gross weight of 3731 kg and chargeable weight of 12500 kg, comprising various aircraft components and spare parts.

 

Details of the load:

– 1 Fuselage Assembly: 289″ X 84″ X 109″

– 1 Paint Touch-up Kit: 13″ X 13″ X 17”

– 1 Vertical Fin Assembly: 60″ X 60″ X 84″

– 1 Pylon & Hub Assembly: 141″ X 100″ X 35″

– 1 Landing Gear Assembly: 141″ X 100″ X 35″

– 2 Main Rotor Blades: 220″ X 22″ X 32″ each

– 1 Tail Boom: 155″ X 42″ X 42″

– 1 Miscellaneous Spare Parts: 88” X 40” X 49”

 

Challenges of the move:

The shipment’s origin pick-up was in Terrebonne, QC, Canada, with delivery to the airline in Mississauga, ON, Canada. Due to the nature of the cargo, a specialized transportation company was required to handle the pick-up and lashing to the trailer.

– Ensuring the availability of correct equipment (20FT Pallets/Netting/Straps) posed a challenge. These items needed to be picked up by our step deck flatbed trailer at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and transported to the pickup site outside of Montreal. The airline lacked this necessary equipment in Montreal, necessitating its procurement and transport. Additionally, they were required to place a very thin wooden panel (must be less than 3cm) on top of the 20FT PLT before loading the fuselage to prevent cargo slipping from metal to metal contact.

– The pick-up took place on Tuesday, May 7th at 8 am. It involved ensuring the safe and secure loading of the crates and helicopter onto the 20FT PLTS, a process that took approximately 5 hours (8 am – 1:30 pm).

– Offloading the cargo at the airline safely and loading it onto the aircraft presented another challenge. The driver arrived overnight for the airline drop on May 8th, around 11:10-15 am, and finished offloading the 20FT PLTS at 12:04 pm.

– The airline had to unstrap the fuselage from the 20FT pallets and move it forwards by 10 inches to ensure no overhang when loading it onto the aircraft.

– Crates had to be broken down for the screening process and re-loaded onto the second pallet.

– Ensuring all documentation correctly stated consignee details/info for customs clearance at the destination, including a dangerous goods declaration for touch-up paint.

– This comprehensive overview highlights the various challenges encountered throughout the shipment process.

 

Shipping large freight such as this one requires lots of coordination with various transportation authorities and requirements. Despite the challenges encountered, Branson International took the necessary time to plan a careful route, maintain communication with their carrier and overseas agent, and ensure the process from the origin pick-up to the final delivery. It was a great learning experience and the Branson International team hopes to work on more in the future.