From left, Andre Rodrigues, country manager, with Geraldine Mendez and Erwin Kehrle of charter sales.

Chapman Freeborn Brazil claims historic AN-225 charter first in South America

Chapman Freeborn successfully completed an Antonov 225 charter to transport four giant pieces of oil and gas equipment totalling almost 150 tons from Houston to Sao Paulo. "The charter was the first time the AN-225, the world's largest fixed-wing aircraft, had been used for an operation in South America," says Andre Rodrigues, the company's Brazil manager.

The Brazil office was heavily involved in the complex prepar-ations and loading of four valves each weighing 37 tonnes, assisted by the company's US team. Rogrigues adds: "Chapman Freeborn experts in Houston and Sao Paulo oversaw the loading with 100-ton cranes to manoeuvre the pieces on to the aircraft."

The equipment will form part of a Petrobras refinery project in Paulinia in the state of Sao Paulo. Rodrigues says: "To successfully complete such a high-profile and challenging project demonstrates the heavy lift expertise and professionalism of our team. We will use the experience and lessons learned in this successful charter in future projects."

Chapman Freeborn's Brazil office opened in 2008. "The Soviet-built AN-225 first flew on 21 December 1988," Rodrigues points out. "The aircraft is the only one of its kind and is utilised for ultra-heavy and oversize freight up to 250,000 kg. CF provided more than 5,000 cargo and passenger charters last year, in addition to many ACMI, wet and dry aircraft lease arrangements ranging from Boeing 747, Airbus A300 and IL-76 freighters to Fokker 100s and Boeing 767 passenger airliners."