Lights Cargo

Lights Cargo

Charter Flights For Cargo & Passengers In Eastern & Central Africa

Eastern & Central  Africa  countries have had political conflicts especially South Sudan,Somalia,Central Africa Republic,Democratic Republic of Congo,Rwanda,Burundi for many years.Thanks to Non-Governmental Organizations,European Commission.African Union and United States of American who have provided  humanitarian assistance in terms of  education,medical assitsance,food,clothing and trying to bring together the warying groups to dialogue.Kenya has played an important role as a hub for United Nations Headquarters and  hosting regional offices for international organizations and Non-Governmental organizations who have volunteered to assist in different ways and not forgetting Uganda especially for Democratic Republic of Congo and South  Sudan and Tanzania  having the refugee camp at Ngara and  for flights to Rwanda and Burundi.Kenya has engaged in hosting the warrying groups from these countries  for peace negotiation and infact  even taken the initiative of being the Chair.Also Kenya lessened its regulations on V.A.T and any taxes on humanitarians goods by giving zero taxes.The stable East Africa countries even went as far as giving their police and army personnel for peace-keeping not only to the mentioned areas but for the entire world.

Flights Out Of Kenya,East Africa

Kenya being the headquarters for the United Nations it also plays an important role in refugee settlement where it has two camps namely,Kakuma in Northern and Daadab in North Eastern which  has refugees from Somalia,South Sudan,Ethiopia,Dr Congo,Central Africa Republic and many others.Through Kenyas  Mombasa Port  these countries are able to receive consignment which go by road transport,rail transport or air transport and this entirely depends on the donors budget.There are companies in Kenya which owns trucks which can carry upto 40 tonnes ready to transport these goods backed up with air tarnsport with aircrafts which can carry from 1 tone to 40 tonnes of cargo. The air transport does not restrict its operations on cargo alone but they have aircrafts which are convertable to both cargo and passengers thus giving you the choice whereby you can carry half cargo and half passengers .Some of these aircrafts have short take offs and landing perfomance due to the state of the airstrips especially in South Sudan and Somalia which have potholes andd requires an aircraft which this perfomance.The fleet includes,Cessna Caravan 208  1 tone or 12 passengers,Let 410  18 passengers or 1.7 tones,Dash-8  37 seater or 3.5 tonnes,DHC-8 Buffalo  5 tones or  40 passengers,Fokker 27-500 series  40 pax or 5 tonnes,Dc-9 Freighter  80 pax or 10 tonnes.The DC-9  can only land in international airports like,Khartoum,Mogadishu International,Juba International,Entebbe International,Kilimanjaro ,Mwanza and Daresalam International and the Fokker 27 in Somalia can only land  in Galgayo,Mogadishu K50,Mogadishu International,Berbera,Berdera,Belletuen,Bosaso,Garowe,Kismayu and not Marere,Dinsor,Jamame,Wajid,buale but the Let 410,Caravan,Buffalo,Dash-8 can land comfortably.Also there is Jomo Kenya International Airport,Moi Internationa Mombasa and Eldoret International which operates 24 hrs due to emergency evacuation.On the North Eastern Kenya there is Wajir airport which is fully equippped with immigration,customs ,security,health facilities,fire fighting and security screening machines and the law is any flights apart from UNITED NATIONS,INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ,DDIPLOMATIC MISSIONS ,NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION haveto pass throught there for outward and inward flights for security screening due to the increased terrorism threats from Somalia where its believed the Alqaida are stationed.For the NGOS,UN,INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FLIGHTS a letter from the organization addressed to the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs is needed and with the full dedtails of the flight that,aircraft registration,nationality of crew,names and nationality of passengers if any,nature of goods,name of organization,airport of departure,time of departure,name of the operator, and the flight will not dapart until a clearance is received in writing from these authority and it takes one working day notice.We have the ICAO office which monitors the flight at UN GIGIRI and for any latest security report in Somalia you can contact them.To south Sudan You can either go by road upto Lokichogio and connect acharter flight to the interior for example Kapotea,Yei,Malakal,Bentiu,Yambio,Yirol,Rumbek,Benashowa,Padak,Boma,Tambura,Wau,Akobo  among others.Infact it is not like before where  it was expensive to  fly to South Sudan by having to take a private charter either from Uganda or Kenya as there are commercial flights on daily basis from  Nairobi,Kenya to Rumbek,Juba,Khartoum and from Entebbe ,Uganda to South sudan and most interesting there are aircrafts based in Juba for your internal flights into South SUdan.From Kenya to Somalia you can get a commercial flight on Thursday and Sundays only upto Mogadishu Intermnational only and to DR Congo there is a scheduled flight to Kinshasha but you need to book one month in advance and there is a sheduled flight to Goma on Monday and friday every week and also space is scarce also bookings to be made in advance.In Kenya you can get all logistics solution be it for Bulky cargo or any kind of cargo including flying fresh products like,flowers,frozen meat,fish to anywhere in the world within a cuople of days.There are private executive jet flights also which can be used and they are faster cruising at 420 knots an hour for those executive whose schedule does not march with commercial flights on the CITATION BRAVO JET 7 seater with conference table and  with all the hot luches,breakfast,hot andd soft drinks without leaving out champagne and DVD with an air hostess to look after your stomach.There are also BEECHCRAFT 200 TEN SEATERAND BEECHCRAFT 1900 EIGHTEEN SEATER which can be converted into 7 and 14 seater V.I.P configuration to suit your need.These aircrafts are also good for MEDIVAC ,AIR AMBULANCE ,EMERGENCY EVACUATION as they can be fitted with astretcher for injured personnel and these aircrafts are pressurized and fly at over 25,000 ft above sea level.There options where you can provide your medical equipment ,nurse and doctor and you are charged normal charter and when situation is critical we have our air ambulance wing ICA which have qualified doctors,nurses who are always on 24 hrs stand-by who have all ythe sophicated medical equipments which can handle any kind of emergency.They have arrangements with hospitals for ground ambulance services all over Africa,France,USA,INDIA,RUSSIA among others.Kenya is abeautiful country where we have the Masai Mara which was declared the seven wonders of the world without forgetting,Amboseli,Tsavo East/West,Samburu,Lake Nakuru,Lake Naivasha,Lake Bogoria,Lake Baringo,Wasini and Funzi Island on theIndiani Ocean on Kenyan Coast and Rusinga and Mfangano Islands on Lake Victoria for your scenic safaris and sightseeing & aerial photography.Lokichogio which is on the boundary of Kenya and South Sudan used to be the hub for United Nations and Non-Governmental organization for both cargo and passengers to South Sudan and storage for cargo which was transported by road from Mombasa .The Operations Lifeline Sudan operated by Unicef had its logistic centre in Lokichogio and it used to be the regional cordinators headquarters for all organizations flying to South Sudan.Lokichogio airport operates from 630 pm to 630 pm and incase of late arrivals or earlier departures for emergencies the WFP used to line up vechilces to light the airport.Lokichogoi airport is fully equipped with immigrationand customs facilities,fire fighters,security to ensure it meets the international standards.

Flights out of Uganda,East Africa

In Uganda at Arua airport International committe of The Red Cross has been operating from there to South Sudan,Rwanda,Burundi,DR Congo and Central Africa Republic.Entebbe Airport has served as the major hub to these war torn areas and Uganda is the gateway for raod transport and rail to Rwanda,Burundi,South Sudan and Central Africa Republic.Uganda has played and importatnt role in ensuring their neighbouring countries have peace and volunteered to be the peace facilitators.In Uganda there are flights especially private charter to its neighbouring countries and its has also National Parks which toursits visit and earn them foreign exchange besides that there is fish from Lake Victoria and fresh food that they export .It is in Uganda and Wetern Congo that the famous mammal Gorilla is found .We have the mutchisson falls ,Karuma falls and Kabalega falls around Lake Albert which is on the boundary of Congo.There is also the stable food of Baganda called 'Matoke' Banana and it is largely planted in this country.There are several 5 star hotels like Kampala Serena ,Africana hotels,Nile Njinja which are worldly reowned by tourists and prominent people who stay their when visting .We have the Para lodge on the Kabalega Falls which attracts thousands of tourists every year with scenic safaris,aerial photography and sighseeing safaris.There both commercial flights and private flights departing and arriving in Entebbe,Soroti,Arua,Gulu for both social ,politicaland economic purposes.

Flights out of Tanzania, East Africa

This being one of  leading producer ot Tanzanite and diamond it also have National Parks and it attracts alot of tourists .We have the Ngorongoro Crater and Oldonyo Lengai which are historic features and many tourists wants to visit it.Besides these then  headquarters of the East Africa Community is based in Arusha,Tanzania and even the Rwanda Tribunal for the genocide has its headquarters there.It also has the Ngara refugee camp which United Nations For High Commission of refugees is running accomodating refugees from West Africa,Rwanda,Burundi and Democratic Republic Of Congo.We have Zanzibar where tourists visit  the historic sites and also do fishing safaris,boating safaris and scenic safaris.There are many  air transport companies flying within the region and private charter companies into the National Parks.For flights to Somalia,South Sudan you will have to use aircrafts from Kenya but For Rwanda,Burundi,DR Congo and Central African Republic you can get flights in Tanzania.Tanzania has played an outstanding role in ensuring war torn countries come on around table to find solutions to their political problems also being a member of Africa Union and East Africa Community .With its steadfast in ensuring peace is t maintained its has managed to be the country host  for the East Africa Community  headdquarters.Tanzania has several airports but with Kilimanjaro ,Mwanza and Daresaalam being the key with flights departing and landing every day for both commercial and private charters.

Types of Services Provided

There different types of services provided as below,

Commercial  Flights

Commercial flights are the cheapest as they serve on a seat basis opposed to private charter where you charter the entire aircrafts.There only one commercial flight from Kenya to Somalia ,Mogadishu International Airport and daily flights from Kenya,Jomo Kenyatta  to Juba and 3 times weekly from Wilson to Rumbek in south sudan.There also commercial flights to Kinshasha,Goma,Rwanda,Burundi,Central  Africa Republic but reservations has to be done amonth in advance.

Adhoc Flights(Private Charter Flights)

This is the most convinient and expensive mode of air transport but ideal for bussiness executive and project  owners  whose scheduled does not match  the commercial flights.It more expensive than lease as there is no incentive given irrespective of the flights that you do in any given month.It is advisable for emergency and one on ,one off  use but for bulky work use lease hire.The adhoc flight is advantageous us you need not to do any commitment like in lease or contract flying where you will have to committ a number of hours for a period  of time and whether you fly or not you will have to pay.

Contract  Flights ( Wet Lease or Dry Lease)

This is ideal for organization with bulk work of excess in 60 hours flying in amonth.You can decide to take dry lease on AI rate whereby you will employ your own crew,ddo your own maintenance,fuel,pay landing,navigation,parking and clearance fees  and the lessor charges you aircraft and insurance but based on the set operational procedure and with a close check by the lessor.Wet lease is when you take aircraft on ACMI rate(Aircraft,Crew,Maintenance,Insurance) and pay for fuel,landing,crew per diem,accommodation ,meals,laundry,crew change return ticket,validation and work permit for pilots and engineer.The way to go is lease as you have the control of the entire operations and when you fly beyond the guaranteed hours the rate per hour reduces thus giving you a cost reduction advantage opposed to adhoc when this is not considered.With lease you will have the aircraft at your discretion and even if the lessor has to use it,consultations has to be done and agreed upon.

The Fleet

There are aircrafts like C-130  20 toner    and the Buffallo 5 toner are suitable for air drops in  hunger and war stricken areas with poor transport infrastructure.The Let 410 ,Buffalo,Caravan 208 are suitable to airstrip which are tidy as they have shart take off and landing perfomance.The crew needs to have an extensive experience especially in Airforce and bush flying to be able to cope with this kind of flying as you flying in countries where bombs,shooting is the order of the day and you need to have extra courage.

With all this it has made air transport the key player in Humanitarian & Relief work to unaccesible areas especially remote easier and quicker.With the new technology having introduced and manufactured aircrafts with ddifferent perfomance depending on the area of operation has also put the aviation a step ahead in the bussiness world.Also with the introduction of convertable aircrafts from cargo to passenger has made lives easier and all you have to do plan according take cargo come back with passenger and vise versa.

About the Author

Anthony Juma is the Editor  and Senior Aviation Director at Wings Over Africa Aviation. 
This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Private Charter Flights for cargo & passengers/Juba/Rumbek/Mogadishu/Galgayo/Lokichogio/Mandera/Mwanza/Zanzibar/Kigali/Bujumbura/Entebbe/Lubumbashi/Lodwar/Elwak/ Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda/Eastern & Central Africa. The website has guided thousands of organizations to achieve their cargo & passengers air transport logistics. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http://www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=68

Need to remove gas from cigarette lighter in cargo luggage on a BA flight ?

If I am carrying a (butane gas) cigarette lighter from the UK on a British Airways flight in the cargo luggage, do I first have to remove all its gas ? Thanks for any definite information.

Please do not put this item into a checked bag.

Just about every airport forbids lighters in checked luggage unless they are in an approved leak proof, flame proof safety container.

Here are the rules for lighters from the UK travel safety site

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Publictransport/AirtravelintheUK/DG_078179

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Lighters
One lighter per person may be carried on a flight. Lighters are considered to be liquids and should be put inside the plastic bag or screened separately. You must keep the lighter on your person throughout the flight.

It is very important that you do not:
* place it in your hold baggage
* return it to your hand baggage after screening

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If you are talking about a regular Zippo type or disposable type, then it is not a problem - just follow the rules above.

Almost all airports also forbid torch type lighters (for pipe and cigar lighting usually). Do not take one of those. It will most likely be taken away.

King Charles - brightest lights @ cargo 2010