A Ukrainian all-cargo charter airline and an Il-76 specialist. It handles whole-aircraft charters for oversized pieces, overweight equipment, live animals and medical supplies. For Chinese shippers its value is in taking the special cargo that passenger bellies and scheduled freighters cannot, with capacity confirmed by us shipment by shipment before a charter is arranged from China.
Service provider in China: Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited, handling charter booking, customs declaration and end-to-end logistics for international air cargo, including routes from China to the United States and to every continent.
ZetAvia (IATA code ZK, ICAO code ZAV) is an all-cargo charter airline registered in Ukraine, founded in 2009, headquartered in Kyiv, operating from Mykolaiv and with a representative office in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The company concentrates on whole-aircraft charters, load planning and technical maintenance for the Il-76 family. For the Chinese market ZetAvia currently has no scheduled route and no directly owned office, so special cargo charters for Chinese customers must have available capacity confirmed by a forwarder shipment by shipment.
ZetAvia's positioning is narrow and clear: operation, charter transport and maintenance of the Il-76 family. The Il-76 is a large transport aircraft designed by the Ilyushin design bureau in the former Soviet Union, and its rear cargo door, short take-off and landing performance and tolerance of rough runways make it suited to missions that ordinary large freighters cannot fly. The fleet consists of 6 Il-76T/TD freighters (4 listed on the website), all Ukrainian-registered, offering whole-aircraft charters, load planning and Il-76 technical maintenance as a complete service.
Published transport cases show where ZetAvia's capability ends: it has flown medical equipment urgently to hospitals in Kazakhstan, carried 30 white rhinos to Rwanda in a single flight (the first time in history), delivered oversized and overweight cargo to Nigeria and moved large oil drilling equipment to Kenya, none of which an ordinary freighter could handle. Because Ukrainian airspace has been closed to civil aviation since February 2022, operations at its domestic base are restricted and the business is conducted mainly outside Ukraine. For China there is no scheduled route and no directly owned office; customers with charter requirements must have available capacity confirmed with the airline through a forwarder shipment by shipment.
| Airline | ZetAvia (Aircompany ZetAvia) |
| Company type | All-cargo charter airline |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Global headquarters | Kyiv |
| Operating base | Mykolaiv; representative office in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates |
| Founded | April 2009 |
| IATA two-letter code | ZK |
| ICAO three-letter code | ZAV |
| Air waybill prefix | No public recordNot disclosed The waybill issued at the time of carriage prevails |
| Official website | www.zetavia.net |
| Fleet | Il-76T / Il-76TD freighters (6 on the register) |
| China services | No scheduled services and no China officeNone available |
6 Il-76T/TD freighters on the register, with a rear cargo door and roll-on roll-off design, about 40 tonnes of payload per aircraft and a spacious hold, suited to whole-aircraft lifts of large and heavy cargo.
The Il-76 needs little runway and can use short and rough strips, reaching remote airports in Central Asia and Africa that many large freighters cannot serve.
No fixed timetable: a whole-aircraft charter has its route and timing built to client requirements, suiting emergency supplies, oversized pieces and live animals.
Beyond carriage, the company provides Il-76 maintenance and technical support, and load plans are designed by a specialist team, keeping the whole process from plan to execution under control.
The core point: when cargo is too heavy, too large or too remote for a passenger belly, such as oil equipment, construction machinery, live animals or relief supplies, a ZetAvia Il-76 charter can carry it in one aircraft direct to the site. That is its value. Chinese customers needing such a charter can ask us for a quote and capacity confirmation.
The ZetAvia fleet consists entirely of Il-76 family freighters, a single type maintained by specialists, and the company is a dedicated operator of this classic aircraft. The Il-76 dates from the 1970s, designed by the Soviet Ilyushin bureau as a military transport and later developed into several civil cargo variants; its robust structure, heavy payload and tolerance of poor airports keep it irreplaceable in the international special cargo charter market. The rear fuselage has a large cargo door and loading ramp, so cargo rolls on and off at the tail without expensive ground equipment; the hold is regular and flat, making oversized pieces easy to secure; four turbofan engines give a cruise speed of about 780 kilometres an hour for efficient long regional charters. These characteristics make the Il-76 a common choice for oil equipment, construction machinery, relief supplies and live animals, and gave a dedicated operator such as ZetAvia a firm position in a specialist market.
| Aircraft type | Registration number | Number | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il-76T | UR-CPS | 1 aircraft | Baseline cargo version of the Il-76 with four turbofan engines |
| Il-76TD | UR-CIB / UR-CIF / UR-CTO | 3 aircraft | Improved freighter with better payload and range, the mainstay of the fleet |
| Total on register | — | About 6 | The company describes 6 aircraft on the register; the website fleet page lists 4 |
Note: figures are from ZetAvia's published information; fleet numbers and registrations follow the airline's latest publication.
| Wingspan | About 50.5 metres |
| Maximum payload | About 40 tonnes (published reference) |
| Range at maximum payload | About 3,650 kilometres |
| Range with 20 tonnes | About 7,300 kilometres |
| Powerplant | 4 D-30KP turbofan engines |
| Loading method | Rear cargo door, roll-on roll-off |
| Runway tolerance | Short and rough runways |
Il-76 payload falls as range rises: about 3,650 kilometres at a full load of roughly 40 tonnes, and about 7,300 kilometres with 20 tonnes. Forwarders and airlines use this to match origin, technical stop and destination when planning a charter.
No published scheduled timetableNo scheduled flightsZetAvia operates entirely on a charter basis, with route and timing built to client requirements.
No scheduled China route and no China officeNone availableIl-76 range is limited, so charters from China normally need planned technical stops, for example at western gateways such as Urumqi and Kashgar or at Central Asian airports; each case is assessed separately.
Recent flights have served Kazakhstan (medical equipment), Rwanda (live animals), Nigeria (oversized cargo) and Kenya (oil equipment), with the Sharjah office covering the Middle East market.
ZetAvia works mainly on charters, and the reachable area depends on range, traffic rights and technical stops. In practice its customers come from oil and gas, mining, agriculture, wildlife conservation and humanitarian relief, and their cargo shares one trait: large, heavy, urgent or distant. Either a piece is too big for an ordinary freighter, or the destination airport has limited infrastructure, or the deadline is too tight for scheduled flights. If a shipment falls into one of these categories, the detailed parameters can be given to a forwarder, who will weigh the Il-76 performance data, route conditions and difficulty of obtaining traffic rights and advise whether a ZetAvia charter or another capacity option fits better.
Practical notes:ZetAvia has no scheduled service from China at present; charters for special cargo such as oversized pieces and live animals must have capacity and technical stops confirmed by us with the airline shipment by shipment. Where the requirement isChina to the United Statesair freight to the United States, we can arrange scheduled space with Delta, United and other main China-US carriers, with stable schedules and reliable transit times.
The rear cargo door and roll-on roll-off design let oil equipment, construction machinery and heavy components drive on and off directly, with pieces of tens of tonnes accepted and the load plan built to the cargo.
It has carried 30 white rhinos to Rwanda in a single flight, the first time in history, and has mature experience in loading, ventilation, attendant handling and temperature control for large live animals, suiting rare species and large livestock.
It has flown medical equipment urgently to hospitals in Kazakhstan and can reposition an aircraft and load quickly, suiting time-critical charters for relief supplies, medical equipment and emergency cargo.
The Il-76 can operate from short, rough and unpaved strips and reach remote airports in Central Asia and Africa that large freighters cannot enter, delivering to the site itself.
No fixed schedule: route, timing and loading are built entirely to client requirements, with the whole aircraft dedicated to the shipment and the cargo under closed control throughout, giving a clear chain of responsibility.
Beyond carriage the company maintains and supports Il-76 aircraft and knows the type intimately, with a specialist team covering load planning, centre of gravity calculation and technical stop planning.
ZetAvia's strengths sit in charter scenarios that combine special cargo with hard-to-reach destinations. Routine small consignments and mainline traffic such as China to the United States should use scheduled carriers such as Delta and United, and we can set out a clear comparison of the two options.
| Official website | www.zetavia.net (includes business contact channels) |
| Head office | Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Base and representative office | Mykolaiv; representative office in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates |
| China office | No publicly listed office in ChinaNone available For bookings, confirm shipment by shipment through a forwarder |
| Air waybill prefix | No public recordNot disclosed Subject to the air waybill actually issued |
Note: ZetAvia currently operates mainly outside Ukraine; before booking, have the forwarder verify its latest operating status and available capacity.
ZetAvia has no office in China and normally takes business through forwarders (GSA and agent networks). Choosing a forwarder experienced in special cargo and charters greatly reduces communication and execution costs, for the following reasons:
ZetAvia once carried 30 white rhinos to Rwanda in a single flight, the first time this had been done. Chartering large live animals places heavy demands on loading density, hold ventilation, attendant arrangements and transit timing, and the case shows ZetAvia's planning and execution capability in this field and offers a proven model for zoos, nature reserves and animal traders moving animals across borders. Chinese zoos, reserves and traders exporting live animals can have a ZetAvia charter assessed by us, with loading and attendant arrangements tailored to the species.
ZetAvia has carried oversized and overweight cargo to Nigeria with every stage of the movement planned, and has moved large oil drilling equipment to Kenya. Drilling rigs, generator sets and construction machinery in the oil and gas industry are often tens of tonnes per piece and out of gauge, and ZetAvia uses the Il-76's roll-on roll-off access and professional load planning to deliver equipment that ordinary freighters cannot take, making it reliable capacity for the oil, gas and infrastructure sectors. Chinese exports of oil and gas equipment, generator sets and construction machinery can be matched by us to ZetAvia charter capacity for direct flights from major Chinese gateways to African destinations.
ZetAvia has flown medical equipment urgently to hospitals in Kazakhstan. Medical equipment is usually high in value, urgent and delicate to handle, and a charter bypasses the wait for a scheduled service and flies direct to the target city to the medical project's timetable, giving a fast channel for health infrastructure, epidemic supplies and emergency relief. Chinese exports of medical equipment and epidemic supplies can fly direct to the target city by charter when urgent, with us coordinating throughout.
ZetAvia positions itself as an Il-76 specialist: operations and maintenance both centre on the type, with long accumulated knowledge of its performance, loading behaviour and route suitability. That focus means more reliable technical support and load plans better matched to the aircraft, and operating experience at rough-runway airports far beyond general carriers that use an Il-76 occasionally. For Chinese shippers, choosing a dedicated Il-76 operator means better assurance on load plans for out-of-gauge cargo and on operations at rudimentary airports, and we can help complete the loading assessment and booking.
Note: the cases above come from news published on ZetAvia's website; actual capability and availability are subject to confirmation at booking.
ZetAvia is a Ukrainian all-cargo charter airline headquartered in Kyiv, operating from Mykolaiv and with a representative office in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It has no connection with Russian airlines and should not be confused with them.
ZetAvia has no scheduled route to China and no office there. Il-76 range is limited, so a charter from China usually needs planned technical stops; available capacity must be confirmed with the airline through a forwarder shipment by shipment.
Not suitable. ZetAvia specialises in special cargo charters towards Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East, and the Il-76 lacks the range to fly a transpacific sector without a stop. For mainline traffic from China to the United States we recommend scheduled space with Delta, United and other main China-US carriers, which keeps schedules stable and costs controlled, arranged by us end to end. If the cargo really is oversized or overweight, a charter plus mainline connection can be combined, planned by us so the special cargo first reaches a suitable hub and then connects to a transpacific widebody freighter to the United States, meeting the out-of-gauge requirement while protecting overall transit time.
Oversized and overweight equipment, live animals, medical and relief supplies, and destinations at remote airports that ordinary freighters cannot reach. When a whole consignment fills one aircraft's payload a charter is more economical; smaller volumes can use loose space on scheduled flights.
A whole-aircraft charter normally moves the entire consignment with a clear chain of responsibility, and we follow the key points throughout, from enquiry and confirmation through aircraft positioning, loading, departure, technical stops, arrival, clearance and delivery, keeping the shipper updated and the cargo status visible.
With Ukrainian airspace closed, operations at its domestic base are restricted and the business is conducted mainly outside Ukraine. Before booking we verify the latest operating status and available capacity; if none is available we propose other charter capacity with equivalent capability or a scheduled option.
Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited, based in Shenzhen, China, specialises in international air freight from China to the United States and the main markets worldwide. It handles routine scheduled space and whole-aircraft charters for special cargo such as oversized pieces and live animals, covering booking, declaration, air carriage, clearance and delivery. Solutions and quotations are available on request.
Disclaimer:Prepared by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited (Goodhope Freight). Airline names, codes and brand marks mentioned here belong to their respective owners, and our company has no affiliation, agency or investment relationship with the airlines described. The information is compiled from public sources for reference only and does not form a contract of carriage or a commitment. Space, rates and schedules are subject to actual confirmation by the carrier or its authorized agent at the time of booking.