Antonov Airline’s AN-22 aircraft urgently delivered winches and equipment weighing almost 30 tons from Ostend (Belgium) to Istanbul (Turkey) for deep-water (up to 400 meters) repair of the water piping between Turkey and Cyprus.
Loading and unloading of the container weighing 28.8 tons required special equipment which was designed and manufactured at Antonov Company.
In less than a day after the order confirmation, the AN-22 aircraft departed for loading.
The Ostende-Istanbul mission was performed by order of Skyair Shop Aviation Services Serkan Dikmen. Tekin Ertemel, Director General of the company commented: “We are very pleased with the cooperation with Antonov Airlines, is a high-skilled and good airline that works as a team.”
In January, the Turkey-Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) water pipeline suffered a disruption due to severe weather conditions. Officials located the damage to be around 250 meters deep undersea and 8 kilometers (4.97 miles) near the Turkish coast. Two pipes detached from bases and surfaced on sea level as a result of the damage.
The 80-kilometer pipeline project to send freshwater to the island under the Mediterranean was completed in 2015. Under the project, some 75 million cubic meters of freshwater will be sent each year for a total of 50 years.
