For the first time in history, three Sikorsky S-92A helicopters were transported in a single Antonov 124 aircraft to Brunei. The transport was part of a contract for six charters for the fuel industry giant, Shell.
At the end of January, an Antonov AN-124 – the world’s largest transport aircraft used for commercial purposes – landed at the airport of the Royal Brunei Air Force base in Rimba (Brunei), delivering three new Sikorsky S-92A helicopters, some of the largest helicopters produced in the world. The delivery of the helicopters for Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP) was carried out by the Schenker Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Competence Centre and was a major technical challenge. Although AN-124 aircraft often carry large civilian helicopters, this was the first time that three Sikorsky S-92A helicopters were transported simultaneously by a single AN-124 aircraft.
The three S-92A helicopters were loaded into the cargo hold of the Antonov 124-100 aircraft at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut by specialists from Schenker Inc (USA). Preparatory work included disassembling and repacking parts (such as rotor blades) to fit the helicopters into the AN-124. Before landing in Brunei, the aircraft made refueling stops in Anchorage (Alaska) and Khabarovsk (Eastern Russia).
Some helicopter parts were transported separately by cargo plane to Singapore and reached Brunei from there. All charter flights by Antonov aircraft were carried out by the Schenker Charter Department in Germany.
– Due to the very high technical requirements of this project, we needed to cooperate with a competent global logistics service provider, a company that not only understands our unusual requirements but also possesses extensive industry expertise and has a global network. We commissioned this charter to Schenker precisely because of these criteria, stated Captain Jonathan Phillips, Aviation Services Manager at Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP).