Cargolux Airlines has transported 230 tonnes of artwork from the United States to Basel, Switzerland ahead of the renowned Art Basel Fair 2019.
The priceless commodities, totalling 104 pallets, were spread out over eight flights, three originating from Los Angeles and five from New York. Upon arrival in Luxembourg, the precious cargo was loaded on board 31 lorries for the final leg of the journey. The shipment was handled by the airline in coordination with its forwarding partners Masterpiece, Dietl and Hasenkamp.
The transport went smoothly and all parties expressed their satisfaction with the outcome and considered the seamless collaboration between Cargolux and its partners to have strongly contributed to the success of the mission. As Jordan Starr-Bochicchio, Manager, Art Fair Services at Masterpiece International, highlighted: “We were very happy to have received all the attention necessary to execute such a large undertaking smoothly. It was clear that Cargolux took this very seriously and committed the necessary resources and time required to make sure that everything happened as planned, at both JFK and LUX. We look forward to the next opportunity to work with your team on a project of this scale”.
Cargolux has developed a portfolio of tailored transport solutions including a dedicated product to cater for sensitive and highly valuable commodities such as artwork. The solution, which was devised to ensure safe handling, includes temperature controlled as well as secured storage rooms. Highly trained teams also supervise the loading and off-loading to guarantee traceability throughout the transport process.
The art pieces will be exhibited at the Basel Messe for a week and comprise the work of some 4,000 artists from around the globe. Premium international galleries will also lend their pieces for the event, which attracted over 90,000 visitors for the last edition.
