Some special passengers got to try out AirBridgeCargo Airlines’ ‘abc care’ product, with 146 heifers flying from Houston to Bangkok.

The complex charter was arranged in partnership with Intradco Global, and the request would have been a normal one if it were not travelling from the USA to Thailand.

The abc care team started preparations long before the flight, scrutinising details and were in constant dialogue with the customer to make sure everything went smoothly.

The animals were grouped in 27 cow stalls, each securely stowed and lashed on the maindeck of a Boeing 747-8 Freighter for the 17,182-kilometre, 19-hour 45-minute flight.

During the flight, the ABC flight crew made sure the temperature was maintained at required guidelines, and the groom provided additional support to make sure the cows felt safe and secure.

Sergey Lazarev, general director of AirBridgeCargo says: “We treat animals not like special cargo, but rather as very sensitive passengers who require extra care and attention. No matter how experienced and qualified our specialists are, with every flight we deepen our knowledge and learn from our experience, as each transportation is unique.”

Lazarev says that so far in 2019, ABC has seen a four-fold increase in the number of charter flights involving heifers.

In the first five months of 2019, the number of animals flown by ABC has doubled, and the airline became a member of the Animal Transport Association.