ALL AIRCRAFT Antonov An-12

Antonov An-12

A medium-range air freighter with rear loading doors and ramp under a high tail. This configuration simplifies loading and unloading and enables operation from shorter runways than aircraft of similar capacity need.

CHARTER TODAY

Built for Heavy & Oversized Cargo

Rugged & Reliable Cargo Transport

The Antonov An-12 is a four-engine turboprop roughly the same size as the American Lockheed C-130. It was previously used as a military transport and one of the most widely used medium-range cargo planes in the world. It has served many countries in a variety of roles, including passenger transport and cargo airlift, and many have now been converted for civilian cargo operations.

The advantages of this workhorse are its ability to carry heavy and oversize cargo, easy loading through a large rear cargo bay, cargo bay ramp, and rugged design to operate in hard-to-reach locations and unprepared airstrips. Its turboprop engines are considered very efficient when compared to jet powered aircraft.

Because of its powerful turboprop engines and high-wing design, the An-12 performs very well at maximum payload on the shortest unpaved and undeveloped runways but is also very much at home on paved and concrete runways typically found at small and large commercial airports.

Choose AirFreight.com and get the right aircraft for your shipment. Let our concierge-level customer service and complete shipment flexibility get your delivery where it needs to be when you need it there.

Exclusive use of aircraft, ensuring no conflicting priorities

24/7/365 service availability for whenever you need transport

Platinum-level service and timing to reduce stress

In-flight tracking for accurate delivery status information

Cargo Capacity & Access

The An-12 is equipped with a rear cargo door and ramp system to access a single cavernous cargo bay. Vehicles, heavy equipment, and palletized cargo can be rolled on and off under their own power or with forklifts and various types of loading equipment. The aircraft can hold 3,180 cubic feet of cargo weighing up to 44,000 pounds.

Cargo Doors: The opening for the rear-facing cargo bay is 117 inches wide and 116 inches in height. The cargo bay doors are separated into three sections: the left door, the right door, and the upper door that fills the remaining gap when the left and right doors are closed. All of the doors fold inward into the aircraft but remain clear of the cargo bay opening.

Moderate-sized industrial equipment and assemblies.

Oil and gas assemblies and components.

Replacement parts for critical machinery or vehicles.

Specialized tools for repair or maintenance.

Time-sensitive goods.

Emergency equipment for disaster-affected areas.

Top Down Cutaway

Main Deck

Cargo Cross Section

Main Deck
Width: 135 in
Height: 80 in

Max Payload

Cubic feet: 3,180
Weight: 44,000

Rear Cargo Door

Width: 117 in
Height: 116 in

Range & Routes

The An-12 has a non-stop range of approximately 2,200 miles at maximum payload, making it ideal for domestic routes and remote locations throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Airport Requirements

The An-12 has very modest airport requirements and can operate on the shortest unpaved and undeveloped runways or paved and concrete runways typically found at small and large commercial airports.

Taxiway Width: The aircraft’s length of 109 feet and wingspan of 125 feet allows it to operate on standard commercial size taxiways with a minimum width of 75 feet.

Parking Apron Space: At minimum, the An-12 requires a parking apron of 164 feet x 135 feet to accommodate the external dimensions of the aircraft, with additional room for ground and service equipment working at the rear of the aircraft.

Ground Handling: The aircraft requires forklifts or cargo loaders to lift or roll on cargo using the ramp. Belt or cargo loaders may be used to load lighter cargo.

Fueling: Fueling may be carried out using large capacity fuel trucks or fueling systems capable of transferring large quantities of fuel. Fuel capacity is dependent on the weight of the payload carried by the aircraft and the range of travel required but can be up to 7,500 gallons.

Power and Air Support: The aircraft is not equipped with an internal auxiliary power unit and requires ground power units to power electrical and pneumatic systems when the engines are not running.

Runway Requirements

Takeoff Runway Length: The minimum runway length for the An-12 at maximum payload is approximately 8,850 feet. This requirement will vary based on altitude, temperature, wind conditions, and runway conditions. High-altitude airports at elevations over 8,000 feet may require longer runways due to lower air density.

Landing Runway Length: The An-12 at maximum payload requires a minimum runway length of 4,300 feet. Wet, icy, unpaved, gravel, or grass runways may increase the minimum landing distance required for safe operation.

Crew

The An-12 is operated by a crew of five: 2 pilots, a flight engineer, a navigator, and a radio operator. Additional cargo support personnel may be assigned to the flight by the carrier to monitor the cargo and coordinate seamless end-to-end delivery.

KEY AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS

Length

109 feet

Wingspan

125 feet

Maximum Takeoff Weight

134,500 pounds

Maximum Payload

Approximately 44,000 pounds

Range

Approximately 2,200 miles with a full payload including crew, fuel, and cargo

Cargo Volume

Approximately 3,180 cubic feet

Cruise Speed

350 miles per hour

Engines

Typically equipped with 4 Ivchenko AI-20L or AI-20M turboprop engines

Critical Cargo Shipments

You can count on our wealth of experience to arrange for the transportation of the most critical shipments coupled with our network of cargo air charter operators. Whether you’re in dire need of a crucial part to keep a production line moving or challenged with a firm customer deadline, AirFreight.com is ready to provide the solution.

Mexico is one of the world’s largest producers of strategic metals with major mining operations across mountainous regions. These remote locations rely on heavy machinery for excavation, ore transport, and processing. When a critical machine fails, it can halt production, costing the mining company millions of dollars a day if a mine is unable to process ore.

The Challenge

Late one evening, the Mining Director received an urgent call from one of the Mine Managers at a mine he was responsible for. One of the primary ore mill gearboxes and drive system had experienced a catastrophic failure and was deemed unrepairable by the maintenance engineers due to wear and damage. Complete replacements were needed to resume operations. Interruptions in ore processing at this scale cost the company over $1.8 million per hour.

With no spares onsite, the only option was to transport the equipment needed from a Texas supplier to the mine. Trucking the equipment would take over 40 hours, adding to the mounting financial losses they were already incurring. Having used AirFreight.com several times for similar emergencies at other mine sites, the Mining Director placed a direct call to the AirFreight.com Expeditor who had handled those logistics before.

How We Solve It

The Expeditor reviewed the information and determined an exclusive use of aircraft option would be the best approach for this line down freight. Transporting the cargo in one aircraft to the remote site located at an elevation of 8,149 feet would be a challenge. With no airports nearby, the mine relied on a crude dirt airstrip for daily deliveries of miners, parts, and supplies. The equipment, consisting of a heavy-duty industrial gearbox, high-torque electric motor, and heavy-duty hydraulic actuators, was not only heavy and oversize, but would far exceed the maximum payload weight and hold capacity of smaller aircraft that typically landed at the site. Larger jet aircraft could not land on the relatively short dirt airstrip.

An An-12 was chosen for its powerful turboprop engines, rugged landing gear, and rear ramp so mine personnel wouldn’t need special ground-handling equipment to offload the cargo. They could simply use the large forklifts already onsite. The length of the airstrip and the warm, thin air also required the aircraft to land at higher-than-normal airspeeds while using precision braking techniques to stay within the boundaries of the airstrip, a task at which the aircraft excelled.

At oh-dark-thirty that morning, the equipment was loaded and secured in the aircraft. The pre-dawn takeoff ensured minimal traffic delays on the ground as well as in the air, and the An-12 was cleared to make its three-hour flight to the mine site. The early start also ensured the aircraft would have the benefit of landing in cooler air, perhaps contributing to the aircraft stopping in a shorter distance.

As the aircraft continued on its flight, the Expeditor provided real-time in-flight tracking to the Mine Director and Mine Manager, so they would know exactly when to expect the aircraft to arrive to make arrangements to receive the aircraft and offload the cargo.

As soon as the aircraft touched down, it threw up a huge, red cloud of dust and dirt, which followed it as the turboprop engine’s thrust reversers kicked in. The pilots stopped the aircraft in just 5,500 feet, no doubt aided by the slight upward incline of the airstrip they had been brief on before departure. The engineers immediately offloaded the equipment and installed the large components on the ore mill, and production was restored by midday, preventing further financial losses.

At AirFreight.com, you can rely on our team of air charter experts 24/7. We have the expertise to arrange for the movement of any air freight shipment, including oversized cargo, high-value cargo, and more. Depend on us to find the most appropriate solution through our extensive carrier network and around-the-clock operations.