Global air charter specialist Chapman Freeborn, a member of Avia Solutions Group, has further strengthened its working relationship with Oil Spill Response Limited . Gianluca Modonese, Chapman Freeborn’s Cargo Sales Manager – Italy, and Jason de Beer, Senior Cargo Charter Broker – UK organised site visits with OSRL. The delegation inspected multiple Italian airports for their ability to manage oversized cargo, as well as visiting the one-of-a-kind equipment used in subsea blowouts at OSRL’s storage facility.

Chapman Freeborn has been partnering for multiple years with OSRL, a global oil & gas industry cooperative that provides preparedness and response solutions for oil spills. The air charter broker provides consultancy and support in transporting outsized cargo used for oil spill emergency response, including equipment and spare parts. The in-person tour of relevant airports and facilities in Italy has further strengthened the relationship between the two partners.

The trip’s itinerary included multiple airport inspections, during which the delegation was able to review each airport’s capacity for handling outsized cargo. The first visit was to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP), the largest airport in northern Italy. This was followed by trips to Brescia Airport (VBS), Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), and Trieste Airport (TRS).

The party then visited OSRL’s storage facility in Trieste, where the company maintains its one-of-a-kind Offset Installation Equipment (OIE) system used in subsea blowouts. This purpose-built system operates at depths from 75 to 600 meters and weighs 234 tons. Air cargo is crucial for the rapid transportation of critical parts and components used in OIE operations.

“This trip has served to reinforce the already strong partnership between OSRL and Chapman Freeborn, and it has provided the Chapman Freeborn team with valuable insights into emergency response logistics when dealing with oil spills,” says Gianluca Modonese.

Chapman Freeborn has more than half a century of experience providing air cargo charter services. Thanks to its extensive global coverage, it offers global response preparedness and can support major corporations (including those in the oil & gas industry), governments, NGOs, and relief agencies in transporting time-critical items. This includes emergency response situations. The company is part of Avia Solutions Group, the world’s largest ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) provider, operating a fleet of 187 aircraft worldwide and the parent company of over 250 subsidiaries. The group offers a wide range of aviation solutions, including MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul), pilot and crew training, ground handling, and other related aviation services. Supported by 14,000 highly skilled aviation professionals, the group operates across six continents.