The present invention concerns a process for loading particulate material (7) into at least one narrow vertical container (1,1′) having an opening to the outside in its bottom part, which comprises inducing an upflow of air through said container, and loading said particulate material into the container from the upper part thereof in such a way that said particulate material falls downwardly counter currently to said upflow of air.According to the invention, no physical device or air-supplying conduit is present inside the inner section of the container (1,1′) to be filled when the particulate material is loaded, and said upflowing air is sourced from the bottom opening of the container and is induced by sucking air from the upper part of the container using a vacuum system.The invention allows for the precise control of the impact velocity of the particulate material (7) as it arrives in the bottom of the container (1, 1′).