It took three Boeing 777F charter flights to transport close to 300 tons of solar panels from China to Türkiye earlier this month, culminating in a high-volume, time-sensitive project logistics milestone for Chapman Freeborn.
The global air charter specialist said the full-capacity flights, using aircraft belonging to Qatar Airways and Silk Way West Airways, were all within one week to enable importers to secure stock in Türkiye before a change to taxes on solar panels.
The three charter flights were between Shanghai Pudong and Istanbul airports.
A total of 447 pallets, weighing over 292 tons and amounting to 685 cubic metres, were transported. Chapman Freeborn leveraged its expertise in high-volume cargo planning and coordinated closely with the client and airlines to ensure timely execution of these deliveries to meet a critical market deadline.
Handling such a high volume required detailed coordination and careful planning, explained Emre Sanisoglu, Cargo Charters Consultant at Chapman Freeborn.
“The pallets had varied sizes and weights so we worked closely with the airlines in pallet build-up and planning to optimise the use of aircraft space. The high volumes tested 777F capacity limits of 100 tons and 550 cubic metres.
“We achieved full aircraft utilisation on all three flights: two with Qatar Airways and one with Silk Way West Airlines. This ensured cost effectiveness and we also maintained transparent cost communication with the client throughout the process to avoid any unpleasant surprises,” Sanisoglu said.
Alongside the complexity and fine margins in terms of volume and weight, this project also featured very tight turnarounds.
“Our team was able to coordinate three charters within one week with flights on September 3, 8 and 10. We also provided the client with real-time updates on departures and arrivals so they were fully informed during this critical week for their business,” Sanisoglu added.
“This operation demonstrated our capacity to work in close coordination with stakeholders and draw upon our extensive global network and decades of experience to ensure the timely execution of three complex cargo deliveries,” said Gerhard Coetzee, Vice President: Cargo for the India Middle East Africa region at Chapman Freeborn.
