Chapman Freeborn Airchartering (CF) has signed a contract with Safair to place and operationally manage an L382 Hercules aircraft in Australia.
Claimed to be the only rear-loading freighter of its kind in the country, the aircraft will be based in Brisbane on a long-term lease agreement.
Available for both international and domestic airlift operations, Chapman Freeborn’s Hercules will be additional to the company’s current activities. CF will continue to work in partnership with all cargo airline suppliers to provide charter aircraft services.
General manager of Chapman Freeborn Australia Michael Grant said: “We have regularly been chartering the Hercules to fly outsize and time-critical cargo in Southeast Asia and Australasia, especially to remote locations in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam and Cambodia. New Caledonia, Nauru, Fiji, the Solomon Islands and New Zealand are also within easy reach.
“With the Hercules now based in Australia, we are expecting a rise in cargo charter requests to airports including Karratha, Port Hedland, Moomba, Darwin and Broome, as well as other mining destinations in the north west and south west.”
The L382 Hercules aircraft can carry up to 20 tonnes and is one of the most versatile and capable cargo aircraft due to its unique capabilities to operate to and from short and unprepared airstrips worldwide. Its operational efficiencies, which require minimal ground support, make it suitable for transporting cargo to remote locations.