Africa growth boosts WCS business

Chapman Freeborn Africa is seeing increased demand for new routes into Africa this year and will expand its service to meet this demand. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and West Africa are coming up on client radar more frequently and the company also saw marked growth last year on routes such as South Sudan, Tanzania and Mozambique, reports Patricia Monethi, cargo broker and sales: Africa for Chapman Freeborn. “As mining companies continue to set up operations in Africa, there is a growing need to have cargo flown directly into the sites. This has contributed to sound growth and good opportunities for us in 2012, creating optimism for projected growth into 2013,” she says. Other areas of growth have come from the energy sectors and an increased demand for livestock movement. Monethi adds that Chapman Freeborn is always looking for opportunities to develop and currently has several projects in the prospectus phase. “One of our key strengths in a highly competitive industry is our capability to manage any type of cargo and allocate the best aircraft for the right payload based on the customer’s route,” she says. The company’s fleet ranges from small Cessna configured planes to large Antonov or Boeing 747 freighters. CAPTION Patricia Monethi ... gearing up for a ‘buoyant’ 2013.