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.
