About Chapman Freeborn

1973 The beginning

In 1973, Chris Chapman and Mike Freeborn established Chapman Freeborn. It began with a shared passion for aviation and a unique business opportunity to market Alaska International Air’s fleet of Hercules freighter aircraft.

At its peak Alaska International Air operated five aircraft, but with business faltering in the local oil and gas industry new revenue streams were urgently required. Chapman Freeborn successfully utilised these aircraft for ad hoc charters and longer-term contracts in Africa and later across the globe.

1970s Changing consumer demand

The Hercules and other chartered aircraft types were used to transport everything from oil and gas equipment to automotive parts.

Changes in consumerism in the 1970’s meant that empty leg flights would often be filled with fruit and vegetables destined for supermarkets.

Tastes were becoming more exotic and demand began for shipments of grapes from Cyprus, avocados from Israel, peppers from Ethiopia, and other new food industries based in countries like Kenya and Columbia that still continue today.

1983-85 Humanitarian airlifts

Chapman Freeborn has been involved in transporting humanitarian cargo since its earliest days, and the 1980s saw demand for our charter expertise reach new levels.

Widespread famine hit Ethiopia from 1983 to 1985 placing five million people at risk of starvation. Governments including the UK, Germany, Poland, Canada, USA and the Soviet Union led the international aid effort – supplemented by a large civilian component.

We played an important role in the effort to transport food and medical supplies, managing a variety of aircraft to deliver cargo from Europe to Addis Ababa on behalf of aid agencies.

1993-98 Going global

A period of rapid expansion saw us launch new businesses around the world, including office openings in Poland, United States of America, Belgium, Singapore and United Arab Emirates.

Our growing coverage helped to give us access to local airlines, unique knowledge of local operating conditions, and the ability to serve charter clients on a global basis.

2004 Olympic torch relay

In 2004, Chapman Freeborn assisted the International Olympic Committee with an ambitious project to fly the Olympic flame around the world. For the first time in history, the torch relay visited all five continents represented by the Olympic rings.

On your marks… jet set… GO! Our passenger charter team arranged and operationally managed two Boeing B747 aircraft for a 46-day tour which included visits to 34 cities in 26 countries.

2004-2005 Tsunami disaster response

We pride ourselves on our ability to react rapidly to emergency situations – including setting up time-critical flights outside of regular working hours.

When the devastating tsunami struck on Boxing Day 2004, Chapman Freeborn’s offices around the world were called into action. In the days and weeks that followed, over 250 charters were coordinated by our teams to deliver aid to countries including India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

2009-11 Developing new charter markets

We reached another milestone in 2009, becoming the first international charter company to establish a presence in Africa, with office openings in Uganda and South Africa.

Next up was the launch of our first business in India, followed by Australia and the acquisition of Alltrans International – a highly-respected logistics company with over 12 years of experience in the local cargo market.

2014 Intradco Global

In 2014, the acquisition of a majority share in Intradco Cargo Services allowed us to expand our product portfolio further. UK-based Intradco offers over 30 years of animal transport experience, making it the number one choice for equine, livestock and conservation project shipments worldwide.

2017 Magma Aviation

In 2017, Chapman Freeborn increased its stake in Magma Aviation to a majority shareholding to help support the company’s long-term growth plans.

UK-based Magma was launched in 2010 to commercially and operationally manage dedicated wide-body cargo aircraft, contracted on an exclusive basis from airline partners. The company currently controls a fleet of B747-400F aircraft – serving a global client base of freight forwarders, block space consolidators, and charter brokers.

2019 Avia Solutions Group

In 2019, Chapman Freeborn was acquired by Avia Solutions Group – a global aviation holding company with subsidiaries engaged in aircraft maintenance, pilot training, ground handling and fuelling, aviation IT solutions and business aviation.

Joining forces with Avia Solutions Group provides us with a greater level of business scale, resources and expertise to accelerate growth and deliver our services to an even wider client base – all while preserving our unique company culture and ongoing commitment to charter market innovation.