By Maria Kalamatas | August 1, 2025
Columbus, Ohio — The cargo didn’t make a sound. Not during takeoff, not during the crossing over the Pacific, not even when the wheels of the 747 freighter screeched onto the tarmac in Hanoi.
Inside the aircraft? 800 gilts — young female pigs, bred for reproduction — each tucked inside specially ventilated pens. M2 Transport had chartered the flight, moving the animals from Iowa to Vietnam in a single, carefully timed journey. No noise, no panic. Just sleep and soft grunts, according to the vet onboard.
“I’ve flown racehorses, even falcons,” said David, a handler who’s been doing this job for over a decade. “But this? This was smoother than most passenger flights I’ve worked on.”
No ordinary cargo
Everything had been checked the night before. Twice. The pens were lined with straw, the water dispensers filled and tested. Temperature sensors were fixed inside every container. The pilot was briefed not only on the route, but on micro-adjustments of cabin airflow.
Departure was set for 4:15 a.m., when the air is still and cool. The pigs don’t do well in heat. “You plan around the animals,” said the logistics coordinator. “Not the other way around.”
Once in the air, updates were constant. Every 30 minutes: vitals, airflow, movement. The vet walked the aisle midflight — flashlight in hand — counting, listening, observing.
Why fly pigs halfway across the world?
Genetics. Vietnamese producers, still rebuilding after the swine fever outbreaks of recent years, are paying top dollar for strong, disease-resistant gilts from American farms. These pigs were destined for three breeding centers near Hải Dương, north of Hanoi. A future herd, packed in crates, humming across the ocean in silence.
At arrival, customs took less than an hour. The pigs were offloaded gently, rolled onto waiting trucks, and driven to a government quarantine site for 14 days.
The rise of airborne livestock
Most people don’t think about animal flights. They imagine electronics, auto parts, maybe luxury goods. But livestock — when the genetics are valuable — moves by air. Horses for racing. Bulls for breeding. And now, pigs.
“It’s not glamorous,” David shrugged. “But it’s essential. And when it goes right? You feel like you moved something that matters.”
