Tripoli, 1 September 2013:
UK-based aircraft charter firm Chapman Freeborn has partnered up with Air Libya to launch a new cargo service.
Chapman Freeborn will be providing an Antonov An-26 aircraft, which will be based at Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport on a long-term lease agreement with Air Libya. The An-26 is a versatile plane, with a 5.5 ton payload, which is also able to land and take off from short and unpaved runways. This makes it well-suited to service some of Libya’s more remote desert locations.
Chapman Freeborn will operationally manage the aircraft, which will be available for internal cargo runs, as well as flights to and from other countries in North Africa and Europe.
The partners also plan to establish scheduled internal flights connecting Tripoli and Benghazi with the country’s remote airfields. These will include regular journeys to oil fields in the south of the country.
“We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Air Libya to develop air cargo solutions in the region,” said project manager for Chapman Freeman, Paul Drew, “freight forwarders and energy industry clients will benefit from this cooperation which offers professional, reliable services between the country’s key hubs and more remote locations.”
He added that, given the limited and often expensive air and sea freight options currently available in the country, the announcement of new partnership had been very well-received.
Air Libya, established in 1996 and based in Benghazi, was the first private aircraft operator to be granted an air operator’s certificate (AOC) in the country. It provides flights for the country’s hydrocarbon sector, as well as scheduled passenger and chartered VIP flights.
The partnership with Chapman Freeborn is part of Air Libya’s new focus on expanding its fleet. [/restrict]
