Etihad Cargo has transported 72 elite racehorses from the UK to Kuwait following the European racing season.

The racehorses, worth a combined £36 million ($45 million) travelled from Stansted Airport to Kuwait City on board a Boeing 777 Freighter, where they will spend the winter months training and racing.

Etihad Cargo has transported more than 1,200 horses in 2016, and senior vice president David Kerr says: “Safety is the most important thing for our equine customers, which is why it is imperative we offer a safe and reliable service on all of our shipments.”

Stansted Airport’s owner, Manchester Airports Group head of cargo, Conan Busby says: “We are delighted that Etihad Airways chose Stansted to handle this delicate and valuable cargo. Stansted is the UK’s number one airport for horse travel and handles many specialist flights every year.”

A team of six grooms handled the horses during loading, during the flight and on arrival in Kuwait. When the horses arrived at Stansted they were loaded by their grooms into International Air Transport Association approved jet stalls, which were loaded onto the temperature controlled cargo hold for the six hour flight.