Charters taking off in the region

West Africa is developing more rapidly than the rest of Africa and remains a key focus in the growth strategy of Chapman Freeborn. “We have been heavily involved in arranging charters for the oil and gas industry which is booming in the region,” business development manager for Africa, Gian Scarola, told FTW. “At the same time iron ore and gold mining is on the increase while greenfield projects are also taking off.” Chapman Freeborn, he said, was involved in several countries in West Africa including Benin, Burkino Faso, Cape Verde, the Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. “There are very few countries in the region where we are not seeing an increased need for charter aircraft,” he said. “We have launched several new scheduled routes with more on the cards.” Scarola said while it had traditionally been difficult to operate in Africa – thanks to the various regulations specific to each country – much being was done at a regional level. “There is a definite move to address the issues around Customs and legislation that have continued to hamper operations into West Africa,” he said. “This will make the movement of cargo into the region much easier. One has to remember that many of the locations that cargo has to reach are extremely remote and road access is often non-existent. Moving cargo by air is often the only way. In many cases there are also added benefits in that the cargo can be f lown right to the site – both from a logistics and security point of view.” He said having the right agents and representatives on the ground in the various countries was key to dealing with the stumbling blocks. “You need workers on the ground that are familiar with specific countries and their regulations.” INSERT There are very few countries in the region where we are not seeing an increased need for charter aircraft.- Gian Scarola CAPTION There is a growing call for air charters into Africa where cargo is often destined for remote locations with little or no road infrastructure.