A large portion of that growth was driven by horses, the freight carrier said in a press release on 30 January. “The number of equines handled by Cargolux surged by 30%, from 2,000 to 2,600 horses, between 2017 and 2018”.

“Horses represent a non-negligible 50% of the total amount of live animals handled by the company annually,” the company stated.

Cargolux said its aircraft are “equipped with multi-zone air-conditioning systems that can be adapted to suit any animal’s environment throughout the flight.”

Findel airport-based Cargolux is the largest all cargo airline in Europe and 6th largest worldwide. It flew more than 1m chargeable tonnes during its 2017 financial year.

Cargolux employed 1,460 people as of 1 January, making it Luxembourg’s 25th largest employer, according to Statec figures.