CHAPMAN Freeborn recently completed the successful movement of over 2,300 tonnes of tents from Iran to China, to aid those left homeless by the earthquake that hit the country in May.
On behalf of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Chapman Freeborn’s Dubai and Beijing offices coordinated an intensive programme of 57 flights involving a combination of Iranian, Chinese and Russian carriers.
The project marked a significant breakthrough in the use of Chinese airlines for charter operations of this kind.
Shanghai Airlines performed four charters from Tehran to Chengdu on MD-11s, while Yangtze River Express, conducted three flights on its B747-400F aircraft.
Eliska Hill, general manager of Chapman Freeborn’s Dubai office, said: “International air cargo movements of this scale can be as complex as they are important. Coordinating this many flights out of Tehran was a challenge, but it was that our team was able to rise to and ensure the whole operation was a complete success.
“Added to this, with the help of our Beijing office, we successfully utilised two Chinese carriers who had never before performed these type of charter flights, and certainly never operated from such a challenging base as Tehran Airport.”
Elsewhere Chapman Freeborn arranged two Iran Air Cargo A300B4 flights from Tehran to Dubai, an AirBridgeCargo B747-400F flight from Tehran to Chengdu and 47 separate Emirates Airlines flights from Tehran and Dubai, to Chengdu on A310-300F and B747-200F freighters.
The programme was completed over 18 days, requiring extensive coordination with airlines, airport authorities, handling agents and the Iran-based tent manufacturer.
