Giant Air Freight Carrier Services UN Peacekeepers

JAPAN - UGANDA – SUDAN – Heavy lift and project freight specialist Ruslan International, the company which markets and manages the combined Antonov An-124 fleets of its shareholders Antonov Airlines and Volga Dnepr Airlines, has completed a programme of fifteen flights using the giant An-124 freighter aircraft, carrying cargo essential for the Japanese peace keeping contingent of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). The flights, each covering 13,000 km from Narita and Chitose in Japan to Entebbe, Uganda, carried non-combat vehicles, containerised freight, power generators, communication equipment and other supplies for the Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF).

Entebbe was merely a staging post capable of receiving the huge aircraft and upon arrival in Uganda the cargo was transferred to the JGSDF in southern Sudan using a combination of smaller aircraft and road transport. Michael Goodisman, Business Development Manager of Ruslan International commented:

“The whole programme went off without any problems. We were very pleased to have the opportunity to play a significant role in this important peacekeeping mission. The An-124 once again came into its own because of the variety and bulk of many of the items being moved. The large fleet at our disposal also enabled us to provide the assurance of performance that is demanded in large scale missions such as this.”