Volga-Dnepr Airlines has developed a new lifting system which cuts the loading time of large containers from four hours down to less than 30 minutes.

According to the carrier, the new system can be used for 20, 30 and 40-foot containers. Wheels are attached to standard fitting points on each of the container’s corners. The company’s aircraft can then winch the container into the cargo hold with the help of their onboard loading systems.

The first shipment to benefit from the new loading system consisted of a 19-tonne gas-powered generator and a 17.6-tonne diesel generator, which were put inside 30-foot containers and transported in an Ilyushin IL-76TD-90VD freighter from Châlons Vatry Airport in northeastern France to Port Harcourt in Nigeria for GEODIS Industrial Projects UK.