Charter broker Air Charter Service (ACS) has helped transport 58 cats to a sanctuary more than 1,700 miles away.
The company chartered a Metroliner III aircraft to fly the felines, which had been rescued by one woman, from Houston to a sanctuary in northern Idaho.
Richard Thompson, president of ACS Americas, said: “She contacted us after speaking to the organisation Pilots to the Rescue, who were unable to accommodate so many animals on one flight, and referred her to us.
"She was personally relocating from the Houston area to Idaho and wished to relocate 58 cats that she had rescued to their new home there. We sourced the best and most suitable aircraft for the job which we deemed a Metroliner III."
The customer then needed to purchase US Department of Agriculture-approved crates and obtain health certificates for each cat.
"Once this was achieved we set a date for the charter – the Metroliner III was perfect as we could place all the cat carriers safely, and could strap and secure them in place. The cats are all now happy in their new home," said Thompson.
He added that it was not the first time ACS had been involved in the mass transportation of cats.
"Probably the largest was in 2018, following hurricane season in Texas, which had caused severe damage to many animal rescue centres in the state, and we were asked to transport 240 homeless cats and dogs to their new home in California.
"And, post-Covid, a new trend briefly developed, which was ride-sharing with pets on private jets. A couple of long-distance examples came in 2021 where we had a flight from Hong Kong to the UK with 10 dogs and their owners, and a couple of weeks later a charter from New York to the UK with seven dogs and two cats, along with their owners.”
Source: Air Charter Service
