Aviation

Intradco Global launches a new innovative Pig Lift

Intradco Global launches a new innovative Pig Lift: Intradco Global is the world’s leading air charter specialist for equine, pet, and exotics transportation. They transport animals safely and efficiently, establishing and tracking regulated environmental conditions such as air circulation, humidity, and temperature, based on decades of experience and creative practical solutions.

Intradco Global unveiled their brand new revolutionary Pig Lift this week, demonstrating that pigs can not only fly but also arrive at their aircraft in style!

The Intradco Global Pig Lift is a custom-converted van that allows pigs to move from their lorry transport to their crates at various heights without having to climb any ramps.

Both the front and back of the Pig Lift can be pushed up and down with the click of a button, allowing the pigs to be correctly met at the level they are on their lorry and the level of the crate they are stepping into. Pigs must walk up and down often steep ramps without such technology, which is not only potentially dangerous but also exhausting for them.

The Pig Lift made its debut at Stansted Airport (STN) on April 27th, 2021, with 1,030 purebred registered breeding pigs as its first passengers. They were moved from multi-story lorries that had traveled from Northamptonshire to two and three-story crates without the use of any ramps or manually modified moving pieces.

The pigs then flew to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) in China on AirBridgeCargo’s Boeing 747-8F plane, with a brief stopover in Kazakhstan to replenish their food and water supplies. China has been in desperate need of imported pigs since 2018, when it lost half of its native population to African swine fever, accounting for about 30% of the global pig population.

The Pig Lift from Intradco Global is just one example of the company’s dedication to cutting-edge charter equipment that prioritizes safety, comfort, and animal welfare.

Their livestock stalls, equine loading ramp, and even custom giraffe crates are only a few examples of equipment that is commonly known as ‘best-in-class,’ and the Pig Lift can now be added to that list as well.

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Aviation

COMAC Unveils Plans for the C929 to Rival Airbus and Boeing

After the success of China’s first C919 aircraft, the country is setting its sights on developing a larger plane. COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has officially confirmed plans to build a widebody aircraft, marking a significant step in its aircraft lineup.

Traditionally, Airbus and Boeing dominate the widebody aircraft market, with decades of expertise in developing planes and engines capable of carrying heavy payloads. China, which currently relies on imported engines, is now aiming to challenge these giants with its own widebody jet, the C929, designed to compete with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777.

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The C929 will be China’s first independently developed long-range widebody aircraft. It adheres to international airworthiness standards and boasts independent intellectual property rights. The baseline version is designed to seat 280 passengers and offers a range of 12,000 kilometers, catering to global demand for both regional and international air travel.

Russia, which also needs reliable narrowbody and widebody aircraft, could become a key customer for the C929. Additionally, China plans to target the broader Asian market as it continues to expand its aviation capabilities.

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China’s aviation progress includes the ARJ21 (now called C909), a regional jet with 100 seats for shorter routes, and the C919, a narrowbody jet with 180 seats designed to rival the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. Both models have found increasing demand in the domestic market.

At China’s largest air show in Zhuhai, COMAC announced that Air China will be the launch customer for the C929 widebody jet, though details about order size and delivery timelines were not disclosed.

Other major deals announced by COMAC include:

Hainan Airlines: Firm orders for 60 C919 and 40 C909 regional jets.
Colorful Guizhou Airlines: 30 C909 jets, with 20 firm orders and 10 provisional agreements.

The C929, renamed from the CR929 after Russia withdrew from the joint development project in 2023, is expected to carry 280–400 passengers with a range of 12,000 kilometers, competing directly with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

According to COMAC’s deputy general manager, Tong Yu, the first fuselage section of the C929 is expected by September 2027, with prototype test flights anticipated soon after.