Air charter service company Chapman Freeborn intends to increase its presence in the Canadian industry in 2013.

Chapman Freeborn Canada country manager Ehab Matta tells Mining Weekly that the company’s Canadian office has been open for just over six years and it has provided several outsize cargo charter solutions for special mining projects. It has also delivered private jet solutions for executives and chartered airliners to manage group travel.

“The mining and exploration sectors are showing demand for our charter services for crew rotations to depart and arrive at specific times. Our flexibility as a broker provides a variety of aircraft types to accommodate the needs of our clients depending on the group size and the travel route,” says Matta.

“Our services in Canada continue to grow and in 2013 we plan to increase our sales force and focus on developing existing accounts and on attracting new customers.”

He reports that one of the challenges Chapman has faced is to get more involved with the freight forwarders supplying the Canadian mining industry.

“This year we will release stronger marketing and adver-tising campaigns in the Canadian market to raise awareness of charter solutions and other services that we provide.”

The company is dedicated to moving mining equipment, outsized pieces and dangerous goods throughout the Americas and offers its services across the globe. It also specialises in crew rotations and its professional charter experts are available every day of the year.

Some of its most significant projects have involved the transport of large mining cargo on some of the world’s largest aircraft. Among these projects was: flying a 26 t transformer from Hong Kong to Dubai, which involved combining two freighters with a connection from Dubai to Mwanza; moving five conveyer belts, each weighing 45 t, from Lithuania to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); transporting a 24 t turbine from France to the DRC; and mine mobil- isation into West Africa involving several freighters with cargo loads of over 200 t.

“With extensive experience nurtured over four decades and access to all types of aircraft, our expertise is unparalleled. For example, we can arrange charters for aircraft with short takeoff and landing capabilities to reach directly onto mine sites,” says Matta.

He adds that the company’s capability to manage any type of cargo, anywhere in the world is one of its key strengths.

“For six consecutive years clients and suppliers have voted us air cargo charter broker of the year at the Air Cargo World awards. As the leader in the industry, we have been able to allocate the best aircraft for the right payload based on the flying route of customers 24 hours a day, seven days of the week, with local market knowledge across 35 offices in 25 countries. From the smallest Cessna cargo con- figured plane to the largest Antonov 124, Antonov 225 or Boeing 747 freighters – our reach is unparalleled,” says Matta.

He explains that the company’s presence in the mining industry globally has been significant owing to the continuous charter solutions for heavy, outsize and urgent cargo

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