Best known as a leading passenger airport serving Germany’s most populated federal state North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf has become transformed into a vital distribution point, during the COVID 19 pandemic, for medical equipment and other life-saving goods, mostly from China.
Gerton Hulsman, managing director of cargo operations, reports that the handling teams are working hard to process these special shipments.
“We are pleased to be able to play a part in distributing this much-needed PPE. Düsseldorf is well placed to serve a large area of Germany and also Netherlands and Belgium. Like many other handling companies at other airports, we have had to deal with some of these unusual commodities, very often in unorthodox ways.
“We have had a variety of aircraft to handle, including- 185 tons on 22 flights for Condor with a B767 passenger aircraft, 9.1 tons from Sky Up airlines with a B737/900 passenger aircraft and 53 tons from Emirates Sky Cargo with a B777 freighter. Over the next couple of weeks, we will receive additional flights which will include AN124 and B777 freighters. We have always had excellent freighter handling facilities at Düsseldorf but unloading from passenger aircraft is clearly a challenge, but we are delighted to be able to do this invaluable work and help to save lives.
“We have all learned a lot from this pandemic and now look forward to happier times when air travel resumes to some degree and we can say goodbye to COVID 19.”
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