Actually, the huge Russian MI-8 helicopter here at Bamako airport, in Mali, should not be standing on the airfield in the scorching sun. Within the framework of the UN peace mission Minusma, he was to help fly important aid and development personnel and also material from base to base in the huge country. However, its rotors do not turn, important spare parts are missing and they hang inertly downwards.

Bringing the required parts to West Africa as quickly as possible is the job of Christopher Stein at the ITO location in Frankfurt and his colleague Sidi Traoré in Bamako. Together they take care of all formalities in Germany and Mali. Customs regulations are checked and processed, the suitable flights for the transport of spare parts are defined and airport handling is organised. Speed is of the essence, because every day "aircraft on ground" not only cost a lot of money, but in case of doubt even human lives. And so the teams in Frankfurt and in Mali are doing their utmost to transport the spare parts as quickly as possible to the crisis region and to the UN staff.

No project is too big

"In this project there are important parts, and we provide the logistics," explains Christopher Stein, "but we have also brought whole helicopters here in huge Illyushin transport planes. Our years of local and cultural knowledge pay off. "Without super reliable experts like my colleague Sidi Traoré as Operations Agent on site in Bamako, such a challenging job could not be done in such a short time.

Services: air freight, air cargo charter, customs clearance, land transport