MASkargo's Advanced Cargo Centre (ACC) Handles the Arrival A1 Grand Prix Racing Cars
Issued on 09 November 2005

SEPANG (Malaysia), 9 November 2005 – Malaysia Airlines Cargo Sdn Bhd (MASkargo) today provided ground handling services for the arrival of the first-ever A1 Grand Prix shipment at KL International Airport (KLIA), here.

The cars arrived at MASkargo's Advanced Cargo Centre (ACC) from Sydney at approximately 12.25 noon local time on flight QF7581. They were fitted onto 16 car racks of which 6 were on the upper deck containers and 9 were on lower deck, all winged.

Each car, weighing approximately 200 kg, was unloaded from the B747 aircraft using two units of forklifts, each one weighing 6 tonnes; as well as two tractors and 35 dolleys. MASkargo personnel, with years of motorsport shipment handling experience, ensured efficient handling of the precious cargo.

MASkargo's General Manager for Cargo Operations, Mohd Yunus Idris, said the division is proud to be associated with such a prestigious motorsports event and hope this will continue in the future.

He said with the development of motorsports activities being given them emphasis by the government, it is only natural for MASkargo being the nation's premier air cargo carrier, to lend its support to this project.

"Due to our experience in providing ground handling for international motorsports such as F1 and MotoGP annually, MASkargo are able to provide 'seamless handling' capability to the client.

"This is also due to the close relationship that has been developed with all parties involved during the past few years of handling this type of shipment," Mohd Yunus said.

The fifth round of the A1 Grand Prix will be held at the Sepang International Circuit from 18 – 20 November 2005 and is set to excite anyone who is passionate about their heritage, country and population, as the race is between countries.

MASkargo is also will be flying the cars to the next leg in Dubai on 28 November 2005, using a B747-200 Freighter. For the previous A1 Grand Prix leg in Australia, MASkargo flew the cars from Lisbon to Melbourne on 26 October 2005.

A1 Grand Prix will bring together 25 nations representing 80 per cent of the world's population to actively compete on a level playing field.

MASkargo, the air cargo division of Malaysia Airlines and ranked among the top three air cargo carriers in Asia, is the primary airline for sport shipments such as Formula 1, MotoGP and the KL Horse Grand Prix.

MASkargo operates six leased B747-200 freighters, and its freighter services currently cover KLIA (KUL), Penang (PEN), Hong Kong (HKG), Melbourne (MEL), Perth (PER), Osaka (KIX), Shanghai (PVG), Bangalore (BLR), Bangkok (BKK), Dubai (DXB), Taipei (TPE), Sydney (SYD) and Tokyo (NRT).

In Europe, MASkargo destinations include Amsterdam (AMS), Frankfurt (FRA), Manchester (MAN) and Basel (BSL). It also offers belly space capacity on Malaysia Airlines passenger fleet serving almost 100 destinations worldwide.

At the KL International Airport (KLIA), its home base is the Advanced Cargo Centre (ACC), a 108-acre complex designed specially for MASkargo's sophisticated state-of-the-art cargo handling facilities and recognized as major regional cargo hub.