With the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games on the blocks for August, organisations around the globe are putting plans in place to make sure that everything they need is delivered in time – whether this be team kit or broadcast equipment. As is the case with any event of this scale, transportation and logistics can be a challenge due to limited availability, tight timeframes and the sheer volume of cargo that needs transporting.
Consequently, companies involved with the logistics side are looking to offer their customers ever more innovative solutions. Air Partner, the global aviation services group, has recently announced that it will operate a ‘Rio Express’ freight service before and after the Olympic Games this summer. In the run-up to the Games, the group will have exclusive freight availability aboard a MD-11 on a weekly Sunday flight from Frankfurt to Rio de Janeiro, starting on 10 July and ending on 24 July. The return flights will operate on 25, 26 and 27 August.
The ‘Rio Express’ will be one of only a few scheduled European freight operators flying to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport, which is three hours closer to the Olympic venues by truck than Viracopos International Airport. The flights will arrive first thing on Monday morning (00.05), making them a priority for customs, and all cargo will be transported in containers to enable faster handling on arrival.
This is the second time that Air Partner has operated this type of service – the first being the ‘Sochi Express’ at the 2014 Winter Olympics – and the group is confident that it will be just as popular with its clients this time around. Mike Hill, Director of Freight at Air Partner, commented: “We know that not all our freight forwarder clients will have enough cargo to warrant a full charter, and this service will enable them to transport smaller amounts in a cost-effective way. Given the location of the airport, the early arrival time and the use of containers, we don’t believe there will be a quicker way of getting cargo to the Olympic venues this summer.”
Sochi Winter Olympics
Air Partner has good reason to be confident following the success of the ‘Sochi Express’ in 2014. In the lead up to the Winter Games, the group operated a cargo service aboard 747-400F aircraft every Monday morning between 18 November 2013 and 7 February 2014, direct from Frankfurt to Sochi.
Sochi’s relatively remote geographical location meant that it was not particularly well served by European airlines, and so there was limited airfreight capacity directly from Europe. The ‘Sochi Express’, however, filled a much needed gap in the cargo market, providing direct access to Sochi for the first time; other freight shipments had to be routed via Moscow, which involved a lengthy onward journey by truck.
Since Air Partner’s clients were able to book from as little as one aircraft pallet on board, rates were extremely competitive, and with a flight time of roughly three hours, there was no faster option available. In addition, through its network of partners, Air Partner was able to offer door-to-door, door-to-airport, and Sochi airport-to-door services on request.
In the end Air Partner transported a total of 1300T of cargo to and from Sochi, 900T outbound and 400T return. By reversing its usual strategy of arranging client contracts and then the aircraft, Air Partner’s careful planning and innovative thinking clearly paid off.