Russian carrier, Volga-Dnepr Airlines has reportedly teamed up with Blue Water Shipping to operate numerous flights using its Antonov-124-100 ramp freighter aircraft to support the construction of a new power plant in Afghanistan, says reports.
The project involves transporting 430 tonnes of equipment ‘Bayat Power Phase 1’, which will ultimately bring electricity in over 100,000 homes in Afghanistan.
The equipment was transported on five separate flights from Al Maktoum International Airport in the UAE and Tekirdag Corlu Airport in Turkey, to Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan, says reports.
Volga-Dnepr said in a statement that its team developed the loading equipment and plans for the project.
Cargo on the flights included a 57-tonne transformer and its supporting equipment, as well as three units of the latest Siemens SGT-A45 mobile turbine, which is capable of producing more than 300 million KWh of power per year, the statement added.
“Varying from 23m to 30m in length and from 60 to 100 tonnes in weight, the units were physically inspected on-site prior to being loaded onto the aircraft. They were then installed on trailers and driven into the 36.5m x 6.4m x 4.4m cargo hold of the Antonov-124-100 using special cradles and a ramp extension,” said statement.
