October 16 - Global broker Chapman Freeborn Airchartering is celebrating 15 years of chartering success through its office in Belgium.

The company's branch in Ostend was initially opened in 1997 as an operational unit to support the company's international cargo flights, but the team branched out and developed its own local client portfolio, and quickly became one of the leading charter brokers in Belgium.

Commenting, Chapman Freeborn country manager Chris Vandenplas said that over the years the Belgium team has played an important part in international aid airlifts including the Asian tsunami in 2004, the Haiti earthquake in 2010 and numerous charter operations to Africa in response to famines.

In terms of commercial cargo operations, one recent high-profile project involved eight Antonov 124 charters from Ostend to Perth. The cargo consignment included six 40-foot containers with insulation materials destined for an energy project in Western Australia, Vandenplas noted.

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