On Thursday, November 13, 2025, Ženy v letectví, z.s. (Women in Aviation Association) met at Václav Havel Airport Prague in Skyport. Ing. Imrich Ancin, MBA (Chairman of the Board & CEO) has been working in aviation for 25 years. Skyport, a.s., which he now represents, is a leader in the field of air cargo. However, its services do not end with the air transport of goods to their destination; for example, they can assist customers with customs declarations.
The staff consists of a mixed team of 157 employees, with a ratio of 37% women (mainly administration and customer relations) and 63% men. The only area dominated by men is warehouse work, due to its physical demands.
Cargo itself is a very creative field that tracks shipments to their final destination and pick-up point. Employees are much more likely to receive thanks and appreciation for the quality of their services than in passenger transport.
The process begins with the receipt of goods, which undergo screening (detection control – including goods and animals, using X-rays or veterinary inspections). The goods are then stored in a location and prepared for flight (labels, loose goods, placement on pallets or in containers). Interestingly, the goods on pallets are stacked to mirror the shape of the aircraft fuselage. They are secured against the weather and movement, using special nets that can hold 7 tons. Goods must be cleared and inspected before loading; no further customs clearance takes place during transport. After unloading at the destination, the integrity and completeness of the delivery are checked. The customer center operates 24/7.
If the goods are not picked up, they are disposed of under customs supervision and with respect for the environment. The sender (as contracted) bears the disposal costs, and the air carrier ensures their recovery. Live animals and human remains are not disposed of – timing and guaranteed pick-up are crucial here. In the case of human remains, the funeral service guarantees pick-up. Special security measures are necessary during transport, such as preventing leakage of bodily fluids.
The warehouses have freezers, refrigerators, and areas with specific temperature regimes. Thermal comfort is essential for transporting medicines, tropical fruits, or animals. Speaking of which, some are making noise today. Cages of parrots are ready for transport. They will be loaded onto the plane last to avoid waiting in the cold on the apron. And how will they be kept warm or cool in the plane? We’ll talk more about that in a moment.
If, for some reason, goods cannot be transported to their destination by air, trucks come into play (substitute air transport). Skyport has a direct route from the airport to the truck and vice versa, so the goods do not have to be re-inspected. After loading, the truck is sealed, assigned a flight number, and sets off by road to the customer.
Today, however, the goods are awaiting air transport. A Boeing 777F – Qatar Airways cargo flight QR8077 – is landing on the runway, and in the next 2 hours, it will be unloaded and loaded. Let’s take a closer look at this beauty. Mohamed Elasheg (Regional Cargo Operations Manager Austria and Central, Eastern Europe) was an excellent guide.
By the way, did you know that by boarding an aircraft, you are entering the territory of a foreign state? Let’s go then…
The aircraft is connected to an external power source, which powers the hydraulic platforms for unloading goods, as well as the systems inside the aircraft. In the event of a power source failure, the auxiliary power unit (APU) could be used to ensure the aircraft’s self-sufficiency at the airport.
A tanker truck refills the fuel (the aircraft holds 150 tons in its wings), and pallets of goods are gradually moved out of the fuselage. A system of locks in the fuselage secures the pallets or containers; the goods are always stored so that it is possible to walk across the entire fuselage between them. Gaps are also important for fire fighting in the event of a fire, which is detected by sensors. Thanks to these, the pilot has immediate information about where the fire is. To reduce the risk of ignition, dangerous goods are transported in self-extinguishing containers.
Remember the parrots? The cargo area of the aircraft can be divided into 2 temperature zones with temperatures of 2-8 °C and 15-25 °C. The cages of birds are not among the largest loads. Thanks to the possibility of using 3 m of height in the cargo area, the aircraft can transport much larger shipments, such as huge printing machines or even its own spare engine. It offers up to 27 pallet positions; the total cargo volume is 540 m³, and the cargo weight can be 106 tons (maximum take-off weight is 348 t). The size of the largest main deck door is 315 x 372 cm.
The aircraft is powered by some of the most reliable and powerful high-thrust engines, the General Electric GE90-115B. The landing gear is noteworthy for having the largest wheels for a civil aircraft.
The two-person crew has changed, only the parrots remain to be loaded in the warehouse, and that means one thing – Qatar Airways Cargo’s flagship, the Boeing 777F, is slowly preparing for departure to its destination. It will fly back a little lighter than it arrived; a total of 220 tons will take to the air tonight.
We thank Ženy v letectví, z.s., Skyport a.s., and Qatar Airways Cargo for the invitation.
