Estonia-based cargo air carrier AVEM AERO is growing its SAAB340 fleet with a new aircraft AN-26. The company is planning to deliver oil well equipment and other outsize freight to Sweden, Finland, Norway. The countries will be new destinations for the ‘go now’ carrier and complement its current urgent operations. Also AVEM AERO is launching air freight charters, AN-26 will be used for both charter and ‘go now’ flights.
The market of SAABs and technically similar types of aircraft is already cluttered, while there are only five AN-26 aircraft operating, so it’s a relatively free niche.
“I worked with AN aircraft in 2017, so I know all their benefits and weaknesses. The main benefit of this plane is its ramp. You can put an elephant in it! A ramp allows us to work with oil well equipment, plane engines, and other big/long cargo,” says Nikolay Kurbanov, AVEM AERO managing director.
AN-26 ramp slides under the fuselage or lowers down to the ground, ensuring also quick loading and unloading operations.
The AN-26 aircraft has been leased from Ukrainian aircompany Constanta by an aircraft lease agreement without a due date.
Difficulties with the AN-26 linked to its third country registration, so AVEM AERO had to seek authorisations from the EU countries, and the process lasted several months. “And now the carrier we still need to get permission for every charter. But it’s not as difficult as it seems at first glance, our OCC is getting along with it. Now I’m ready to increase the business effectiveness. For me, fulfillment of all obligations in spite of the war (most of our team is based in Ukraine) — it’s the best contribution to the victory. And also we will use our new plane for humanitarian missions to Ukraine,” says Kurbanov.
Due to the shortage of semiconductor and microchips, the urgent flight market experienced a hard business season in the second half of 2021. So the carrier launched a Flight Dispatch and Operations Control Centre service available to airlines worldwide, and now diversifies its business further.
