East Line reveals extent of the overloading problem in China

Published: 12/20/1999

According to Amirani Kurtanidze, Exectuive Director of East Line, Russia"s largest cargo carrier, overloading is “the most acute problem for Russian cargo aviation". The FSVT is currently involved in a crackdown, in China, on the overloading of Russian freighters transporting Chinese consumer goods to Russia. The issuing of Orders 40 and 78 makes the use of special cargo pallets mandatory for consumer goods. Previously, it had been very difficult to control loads, as, according to East Line, goods were sometimes literally crammed into the fuselage with bulldozers at some Chinese airports. This often obscured instruments and devices located along the board and floor of the cargo cabin, so jeopardising flight safety. Kurtnanidze referred to potentially catastrophic instances, citing one example where an Il-76 was found by FSVT inspectors to be carrying 67 tons when it landed for fuelling in Novosibirsk, en route from China to Moscow. The aircraft"s permitted limit was 45 tons. According to Kurtanidze, heavily laden aircraft were often unable to gain sufficient height at the end of the runway, leading to the destruction of lamps and other airport equipment. He claimed that 40 lamps had once been destroyed by an Il-76 in Irkutsk. The new pallets, developed by Volga-Dnepr (VD), are designed to enable the crew to move along the board of the cargo cabin and check all the instrumentation located there. They also provide a relative weight per cubic metre of clothing and facilitate checks by FSVT inspectors. Kurtanidze confirmed that, while some airlines are lobbying for the tighter controls to be lifted, the association of cargo carriers, AGAT, is fully supportive of the new measures. AGAT members, including VD, East Line, Atran and Aeroflot, have all petitioned the FSVT to make clear their endorsement of the regulations. Associated articles: www.concise.org. 18th October 1999; 18th November 1999

Article ID: 1233