Some cargo isn’t classified as dangerous, doesn’t need temperature control, and isn’t particularly high in monetary value, but it’s fragile, and if it’s handled carelessly, it will arrive broken. Sensitive scientific instruments, medical equipment, glassware, antiques, artwork, precision machinery, large screens and displays, these are the kinds of shipments that can be ruined by a single rough movement or an incorrectly stacked ULD.
We take vulnerable cargo seriously because we’ve seen what happens when handlers don’t. A crate of laboratory equipment that arrives with cracked components. A piece of medical machinery that needs expensive repairs before it can be used. These outcomes are avoidable with the right care at the handling stage, and that’s exactly what we provide.
When we receive a vulnerable consignment, we assess it carefully. Is the packaging adequate for air transport? Is it marked correctly with fragile and orientation indicators? Is it going to be safe in the ULD configuration we’re planning to build? If anything concerns us, we’ll raise it with you before we accept the shipment, because it’s much easier to add reinforcement at the packaging stage than to deal with a damage claim after the fact.
We also pay attention to how vulnerable cargo is positioned in the ULD. It doesn’t get stacked under heavy items. It doesn’t go in positions where it will bear the load of other cargo during flight. These are small decisions that make a big difference to whether your shipment arrives the way it left.