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Cargo · Charter & heavy lift

Freighter and heavy-lift charters, supported on the ground

AN-124, IL-76, B747F, B777F and narrow-body freighters across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia — MTOW permits, freighter slots, main-deck loading, dangerous goods and a ramp agent for the full turnaround.

In short

A cargo charter fails on the ground far more often than in the air. The stand does not take the wingspan, the field has no main-deck loader, the pavement will not carry the ACN, the night curfew closes before the offload finishes, or the permit is filed as a passenger movement and rejected. LFS checks every one of those against the real station before the charter is committed, then runs the turnaround.

Freighter types and what each one needs
Heavy lift
Antonov AN-124-100
up to 120 t
Nose visor and rear ramp, onboard cranes, kneeling gear

Needs MTOW/heavy-aircraft approval at most Gulf and African fields, a surveyed ramp position and pavement check (PCN vs ACN) before slot confirmation.

Ilyushin IL-76TD-90VD
up to 50 t
Rear ramp, onboard winches and gantry cranes

Noise-compliant variant only at Stage 4 restricted airports. Night curfew waivers and operator-specific permits are usually the critical path.

Boeing 747-400F / 747-8F
110–140 t
Nose door and side cargo door, main-deck pallets to 3.0 m contour

Requires a main-deck capable loader (widebody K-loader) and a nose-door compatible stand — not available at every gateway.

Boeing 777F
up to 102 t
Main-deck side door, lower-deck containers and bulk

Stand and loader availability is the usual constraint at secondary fields; LFS confirms both before the slot is filed.

Airbus A330-200F
up to 70 t
Main-deck side door, lower-deck pallets and containers

Widely accepted at Gulf and African gateways with standard widebody handling.

B737-800BCF · A321F · ATR 72F
18–24 t
Main-deck side door, narrow-body loader

The practical option into regional and feeder fields where widebody stands or loaders do not exist.

What LFS covers on a charter
6 areas
Permits sized to the aircraft, not the route

Overflight and landing clearances for heavy and outsized freighters are filed differently: MTOW declarations, cargo manifests with commodity detail, and in several states a separate cargo or charter approval on top of the flight permit. We file all of it as one package.

Slots, PPR and curfew waivers

Freighter slots sit outside the passenger pool at most coordinated airports. We negotiate the slot pair, the PPR and, where the schedule demands it, the night-curfew waiver — with the noise certificate attached up front.

Ramp capability verified before commitment

Stand dimensions, pavement strength, main-deck loader availability, high-reach equipment and tow capability are checked at the actual station before the charter is confirmed, so the aircraft is never sold into a field that cannot unload it.

Loading equipment and loadmaster support

Main-deck K-loaders, scissor lifts, roller beds, spreader plates for concentrated loads, cranes and forklifts arranged to the tonnage. Loadmaster liaison on shoring, tie-down schemes and centre-of-gravity limits.

Dangerous goods and outsized project cargo

IATA DGR Class 1 to 9 acceptance, NOTOC preparation, segregation checks and authority notification. For project cargo, route surveys for oversize pieces and coordination with the ground transport leg.

Fuel, crew and turnaround

Contract fuel releases or card settlement, crew transport, hotac and visa support, catering, GPU and ASU, plus a ramp agent on station for the full turnaround with a timestamped movement report.

Loads we regularly support
  • Oil, gas and energy project equipment
  • Mining and drilling machinery
  • Aircraft engines, APUs and AOG spares
  • Power generation turbines and transformers
  • Humanitarian relief and disaster response loads
  • Defence and government equipment under diplomatic clearance
  • Perishables, pharma and temperature-controlled loads
  • Vehicles, helicopters and rolling stock
Frequently asked
How quickly can LFS support an AN-124 or IL-76 charter?
For a routine sector into a Gulf or North African gateway, a heavy freighter can typically be supported within 48 to 72 hours once the manifest and aircraft documents are with us. Urgent humanitarian or AOG movements have been turned inside 24 hours where the authority accepts an expedited filing. The permit lead time, not the handling, is almost always the constraint.
Does LFS charter the aircraft as well?
LFS is a flight support and ground handling organisation, not an aircraft operator or broker. We work alongside your chosen operator or broker and take responsibility for permits, slots, handling, fuel, crew logistics and ramp supervision at the stations on the routing.
What stops a freighter landing at a given airport?
Usually one of four things: pavement strength below the aircraft's ACN, no stand that fits the wingspan or nose-door arc, no main-deck loader on the field, or a night curfew the operator cannot meet. We check all four against the actual station before the charter is committed.
Can you handle dangerous goods on a charter?
Yes, where the station and the operator are approved for the class concerned. We confirm acceptance for the specific UN numbers, prepare and check the NOTOC, verify segregation and packing group requirements, and notify the authority where the class requires it.
Who supervises the loading?
An LFS ramp agent is on station for the turnaround, working with the operator's loadmaster on shoring, spreader plates, tie-down and the load sheet. You receive a timestamped movement report with photographs of the secured load.
Can one trip file cover a multi-sector charter?
Yes. A single trip file carries the whole routing — every overflight, every landing, every station's handling and fuel — with one point of contact and one consolidated invoice at the end.