Cargolux Airlines International has flown race horses from Luxembourg to Indonesia for the Asian Games, which is being held in Jakarta from 18 August to 2 September.

The part-charter operation in conjunction with JIT-EX required careful preparation and planning to avoid causing the animals distress during the journey.

Cargolux used its HMC horse stalls and dedicated CV Alive team, with the HMC stalls providing increased stability and a double layer pallet base reducing the motion feeling for the horses, reducing the stress the animals feel compared to traditional single layer pallets.

The ad hoc shipment flew directly from Luxembourg to Jakarta, which required attentive preparation from the Cargolux Charter team, since Jakarta is not a regular scheduled destination.

Authorisations and paperwork had to be requested before the flight to ensure minimal flight disruption and animal discomfort.

Cargolux transports about 3,000 horses a year, with up to three horses per stall, the airline can accommodate 84 on its Boeing 747-400 Freighter and up to 90 on the 747-8 Freighter.

The airline is a member of the Animal Transport Association, the International Pet and Animal Transport Association and the IATA Live Animal and Perishable Board.