Global air charter specialist Chapman Freeborn, part of the Avia Solutions Group, the world’s largest ACMI provider, has completed the successful transport of two oversized truck-loading skids for Tropicana Airlines Ltd, based in Accra, Ghana. The units, which were almost 9 meters in length, were flown from Zhangjiagang, China to Port Harcourt, Nigeria, via Liège, Belgium, in late August and early September, with Chapman Freeborn’s China and UK teams coordinating the deliveries. Each transportation was completed within approximately 72 hours and in a cost-efficient manner while meeting the client’s requirements for highly secure, carefully packaged delivery.

The CCMs measured 870 x 210 x 225 cm and weighed approximately 5 tons each. The delivery was divided into two batches, both flown by a nose-loading Boeing 747-400F from Zhangjiagang to Liège Airport (LGG). The first shipment, collected in Zhangjiagang and departing via CGO, was completed within 72 hours up to its arrival in Liège, after which Chapman Freeborn’s UK team managed the onward transfer and air freight to Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The second shipment, which did not face the same strict deadline, departed on 7 September and was delivered on a longer timeline.

Along with the overall challenge of handling large cargo, an additional issue was the fact that the cargo initially arrived unpacked. Therefore, the Chapman Freeborn China team organised expert professional packaging to ensure secure air transport.

The tight turnaround for delivery was another challenge for the Chapman Freeborn team to overcome. Due to the client’s strict time constraints, the shipments had to be executed swiftly. Both were successfully completed within approximately 72 hours from collection to departure. Achieving this required precise coordination between Chapman Freeborn’s teams, with its China division handling collection, packing and freight from China to the Liège, and its UK team managing the second leg from Liège to Port Harcourt. End-to-end monitoring with video and photographic updates ensured the client was kept up to speed on the cargo’s progress.

According to Jason de Beer, Cargo Charter Broker at Chapman Freeborn, the successful transportation of these units not only met client expectations but also delivered additional benefits. “We were able to meet the Tropicana Airlines’ needs in terms of secure packaging of the cargo and the tight deadlines they were working to. Furthermore, by splitting the cargo into two separate stages we avoided using a single charter, resulting in significant savings for the client.

Overall, this successful delivery demonstrated our ability to work effectively as a coordinated global team, and proved that we have the capability to handle oversized, high-priority shipments while meeting and even exceeding the client’s needs,” says Jason.