Chapman Freeborn returns to Italy
15 / 06 / 2009
CHAPMAN Freeborn Airchartering is to reopen its operations in Italy with an office in Turin.
Pierre Van Der Stichele, who will be president of the division, told Air Cargo News: “We are excited about the opportunities that this new office presents, and I’m confident that we have assembled the perfect team to move forward in all areas of our business – cargo, passenger and VIP air charter.
“The team has got a significant amount of cargo experience. The chairman will be Enrico Fantini and he’ll be looking after the day-to-day sales for us. He’s worked with Sagat, the managing company of Turin airport. Prior to that he’s worked for Air France and for a freight forwarder. So he’s had about 25 years in cargo.”
Joining the team are Matteo Forapani and Giuseppe D’Anna, both of whom have extensive forwarding and aviation backgrounds.
Commenting on why Chapman Freeborn chose now to reopen an Italian office now, Van Der Stichele said: “We had an office in Italy two or three years ago but it wasn’t structured properly. Recently though, even remotely from London, we have been making a significant amount of business in Italy.”
“It is a country that is strong in manufacturing and there’s a lot of project cargo, especially for the oil and gas industries. That’s why there is a significant amount of outsize cargo coming out of Italy on An-124s.
Located at the heart of a major industrial region, Turin was considered the ideal location to situate Chapman Freeborn’s newest hub. The city is home to major Italian automotive and aerospace manufacturers, in addition to many other industries with cargo and passenger aircraft charter requirements.
Chapman Freeborn was recently named Air Cargo Charter Broker of the Year for the third consecutive year.
Picture (l-r): Enrico Fantini, Anna Pizzagalli, Pierre Van Der Stichele, Matteo Forapani, Giuseppe D’Anna
