Cargolux Airlines has transported 230 tons of artwork from the United States to Basel, Switzerland ahead of the renowned Art Basel Fair 2019. The priceless commodities, totalling an impressive 104 pallets, were spread out over 8 flights, 3 originating from Los Angeles and 5 from New York. Upon arrival in Luxembourg, the precious cargo was loaded on board 31 trucks 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 are highly satisfied with the outcome. As Christian Theis, Global Product Manager for CV precious explains: “We are thrilled to have been approached for this important and invaluable transport. Cargolux has a solid experience in the handling of sensitive commodities and is recognized in the industry as a leading provider of such services. Requests for sensitive shipments like this one reflect our customers’ trust in our service offering.”

The seamless collaboration between Cargolux and its partners strongly contributed to the success of the mission. As Jordan Starr-Bochicchio, Manager, Art Fair Services at Masterpiece International highlights: “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.”
This position is echoed by both Allison Fulgieri, Art Fair Services Manager Dietl International who says: “It was a pleasure working with the entire Cargolux team”; and Dr. Thomas Schneider from Hasenkamp’s Fine Art division who explains: “Hasenkamp is proud to have found a longstanding partner in Cargolux for the safe handling and transport of artwork to Basel. We are looking forward to deepen our fruitful cooperation in the future.”
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 comprises the work of about 4000 artists from around the globe. Premium international galleries lend their pieces for the event, which attracted over 90,000 visitors for the last edition.