Client Challenge
Our client contacted ETA to handle an aero engine delivery that had gone AOG for a well-known European airline. Routine-urgency engine movements already require specialist handling to ensure high-value cargo is transported safely and without damage. An AOG situation on an engine increases the pressure to avoid delays—in transit and at customs—to minimize downtime for a commercial flight.
The extra spice to this shipment? An incoming typhoon in Hong Kong, coinciding with the cross-border transit from HKG → CAN. A Typhoon 8 was raised, with gale-force winds up to 60 mph. While aircraft are built to withstand adverse weather, ancillary airport services (staff travel, passenger safety, catering, etc.) often cause flight delays/cancellations—leading to freight delays.
Solution
ETA first coordinated the cross-Europe transit of the engine on a specialist air-ride vehicle, organizing screening, final safety checks, and engine-cradle conversion at LUX.
The storm did not delay the flight into HKG, but road transport would have been severely delayed and the risk of damage increased. In coordination with the client—and leveraging ETA’s expertise—we received the cargo in HKG (rather than delaying arrival), re-routed the unit to our storage shop while the storm passed, and pre-cleared the engine so that once the threat lowered, it could be swiftly delivered to the Guangzhou MRO in time for the maintenance window.
