In late December 2025, Volga-Dnepr Airlines completed the air transport of two rotor units of a drilling rig from Zhengzhou, China, to Norilsk, Russia, using an Il-76TD-90VD aircraft. The units weighed 13 and 17.5 metric tons. The shipment was scheduled for completion before the end of the year.
Standard heavy single-item cargo handling typically requires truck-mounted cranes and specialized airport loading equipment at both origin and destination. In this instance, adhering to conventional procedures was impossible due to tight deadlines on the Chinese side.
Volga-Dnepr’s Cargo Planning Center developed an alternative loading method using a high-loader and the company’s existing ground handling gear. This approach bypassed the need for truck-mounted cranes. At Norilsk Airport, the cargo was offloaded following standard procedures using a low-bed trailer and a mobile crane with the required lifting capacity.
The hybrid loading technique enabled the flight to operate on schedule. The cargo arrived intact, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed solution.
Alexander Prokofiev, Head of the Cargo Planning Center, commented: “Handling heavy single-item cargo and non-standard shipments has always been part of our operations. In this case, the challenges were tight timelines and the absence of specialized equipment. The ability to quickly adapt our existing assets and implement a new procedure ensured successful delivery. This method can be applied to project cargo in the future.”
Volga-Dnepr remains a key carrier for oversized and superheavy cargo. Its fleet, equipped with over 300 tons of specialized loading equipment, and its experienced personnel enable the development of innovative logistics solutions for complex shipments.
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