Qatar Airways flies 75 horses from Schiphol to Shanghai

A very unique shipment safely arrived at its destination last week. A total of 75 horses were transported across the entire Eurasian continent, from Hilvareenbeek to Shanghai. The horses weighed an estimated total of 22,5 tonnes. Despite the Gerdine Hoeve company having been in this business for almost two decades, this is by far the largest shipment of horses they have ever arranged.

The 75 horses were first transported from Hilvarenbeek to Schiphol in four trucks. At the airport, the horses were transferred into 25 flight containers, which were then loaded into a Boeing 777 Freighter. The horses, and accompanying team, including four grooms and a veterinarian, flew to Doha. From there they flew to Shanghai.

The horses were exported by De Gerdine Hoeve, a Dutch company that has been in this business for over fifteen years. The company provides a stable-to-stable transportation service for horses, however, the scale of this operation is as first, according to co-owner Aniek van Santvoort of the Gerdine Hoeve. Never before have so many horses been flown to China in one plane. “This is not only unique for us, but also for Qatar Airways” she stated.

“Due to the corona pandemic, some customers have been waiting for their horses for almost a year. So we are not only proud that the ties with China are still strong, but also relieved that we can finally make our customers happy with their purchased horses.” she continued. All 75 horses have arrived safely at their destination, and the accompanying team has returned to the Netherlands.