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Air Charter Service continues its global expansion with the opening of its second Asian office, in Tokyo, Japan. Able to offer both cargo services, along with executive & commercial jet passenger services, ACS Japan can cater for any charter requirement.

In charge of the Japanese operation is Toru Chiba, who brings a wealth of experience in the charter business with him. Toru has been in the aviation and charter industry for a total of 18 years now, and is excited by this new venture, which is part of a GSA agreement. He commented: “This is a great opportunity for ACS’s expansion within Asia. The Japanese market is a large one, which I know well, and I look forward to utilising my expertise in assisting the many other ACS offices worldwide with localised solutions.”

ACS managing director, Tony Bauckham, said: “Following the success of our office in Hong Kong since it opened, we have been looking to expand in the Asia Pacific region, and we targeted Tokyo a while ago. Many western business people travel to the region and having a local presence allows ACS to offer them the very best solutions using local knowledge. Obviously it also allows us to better serve Japanese clients as well, further expanding our customer base and further strengthening ACS’s position as one of the world’s leading charter companies. Toru has the perfect credentials to make the office as successful as all our others, and we look forward to its development.”

Stephen Fernandez reacted quickly when some 500 kgs of urgent gas equipment was required in Karratha for the North West Shelf Natural Gas Project - Australia's largest natural resource development. The cargo was in Perth and needed to be in Karratha as soon as possible.

Using his knowledge of local aircraft availabilities, Stephen knew of two Fokker 100 operators that had aircraft sitting on the tarmac in Perth. He offered a price to his customer within 15 minutes of receiving the enquiry, and it was all booked and confirmed half an hour later. Ninety minutes after that the aircraft was airborne and on its 2½ hour journey.  The whole process from initial phone call to offloading in Karratha took a little over 5 hours.

The customer was delighted and very thankful for Stephen’s speedy and professional approach.

For all your charter needs contact: cargo@aircharter.com.hk

In late May Stephen Fernandez, cargo charter analyst ACS Hong Kong, arranged a charter to move a very large, 8 ton rotor from Singapore Changi airport to Labuan - a small island just off the coast of Brunei.

Even though it is only 92km² (35.5m²), Labuan has several offshore oil and gas rigs. The airport there is a military base which made Stephen’s job a little tougher. After selecting a Lockheed Hercules aircraft as the correct one for the job, he applied himself for the landing permission to the Ministry Of Defence, as well as the Ministry Of Transport.

The operation went off without a hitch, and ACS Hong Kong had another satisfied customer.

For all your charter needs contact: cargo@aircharter.com.hk

When the Arafura Sea was too rough to transport 8 tons of soil samples from Indonesia to Australia the only other suitable option was to use an aircraft.

Stephen Fernandez, Cargo Sales Manager, was contacted to transport the 8 tons of soil samples which were split between two Antonov 26s. The closest available airport was Sorong in Eastern Indonesia. However both flights had to make a stop in Ambon as there is no customs at the airport in Sorong to clear departures for exporting out of Indonesia.

Both of the aircraft were inspected by customs officials and continued on to Darwin, their final destination.

Stephen Fernandez found the best possible solution as an alternative to shipping the soil samples. He also managed to ensure all the relevant checks were made.

For all your charter needs contact: cargo@aircharter.com.hk

When a shoe manufacturer had to transport 74 tons of shoes to Mexico City from Hong Kong before their export licence ran out they contacted Stephen Fernandez account manager at ACS Hong Kong to find a quick solution.

There are no direct scheduled freights services between Hong Kong and Mexico City, and because of the sheer volume of cargo a private cargo charter using a 747-400F aircraft was the best option.

The flight was arranged and completed before the customers export licence ran out, ensuring the cargo was not delayed. Air Charter Service’s account managers are trained to the highest standards ensuring maximum efficiency when organising charters and working to tight time schedules.

For all your cargo charter requirements contact:

cargo@aircharter.com.hk

Gavin Copus formerly passenger sales director of ACS London is taking his vast experience of the aviation industry across the world to take up the position of general manager Asia Pacific for ACS’ Hong Kong Office.

Starting at Interflight aviation over 15 years ago, Gavin has learned the aviation industry intimately. Learning his trade initially dealing with private jet flights out of Biggin hill airport, Gavin then went on to work for Monarch Airlines, Air partner plc and now ACS. Known for his attention to detail and passion for pulling out all the stops for clients, Gavin personally trained and monitored ACS account managers to reach the highest standards of customer service. Gavin’s knowledge of the aviation market is truly global and is respected by airlines and customers alike.

We wish him all the best and by taking his knowledge and experience over to Hong Kong we know that our clients will benefit from his dedication.

ACS Hong Kong now seven months old is proving it can get the job done, helping clients in the Far East move cargo of all shapes and sizes. So when faced with the challenge of transporting an offshore crane Steve Fernandez Cargo Account Manager went about finding the perfect solution.

The movement of this huge crane took two Antonov- 124’s over two days to transport the cargo from Kuala Lumpur to Norway. Using two aircraft was the fastest solution as the client faced penalties of $200,000 USD per day if the cargo did not reach its destination by a specific date.

Forward planning and expertise ensured that the cargo reached its destination quickly without delay and within the allotted time frame.

ACS’ Hong Kong Cargo department can be contacted via email

cargo@aircharter.com.hk

 Air Charter Service Plc opens Asia office in Hong Kong

Air Charter Service Plc (ACS), the worldwide passenger and cargo air charter broker, today announces the opening of its latest office in Hong Kong SAR, China.

ACS has positioned itself to benefit from the growing Asia-Pacific and Australasian market which has seen exceptional growth in private jet usage with official figures showing that since 2003 Hong Kong International Airport has seen steady year on year growth of between 35 and 40% in executive jet movements through it’s Business Aviation Centre, a trend which is set to continue throughout Asia.

Heading up the Asia-Pacific team is Mike Walsh with 12 years aviation experience, who has relocated from the firm’s London office and is to be supported by charter brokers, trained by ACS in London to handle both passenger and cargo enquiries. Yan Fang, Thomas Chan and Stephen Fernandez join the Hong Kong team bringing the languages needed to provide the highest levels of service, namely Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Korean. Soon to join the team is office manager Money Cheng who is also tri-lingual and has worked in aviation for five years with Chinese carriers.

Mike Walsh, Director, ACS Hong Kong said: "Serving the Asia-Pacific region from Hong Kong see’s the realisation of a long term dream for ACS and the opening of the office here has been driven by our analysis of customer demand. This is a huge opportunity for ACS and we have now secured a permanent office in the Central district of Hong Kong. Business in Hong Kong, China and the region in general is undertaken face-to-face so it was vital that we established a key team here in China.”

Tony Bauckham, Managing Director, ACS said: "This is a significant move for ACS, our established global offices network in London, New York, Dubai and Moscow have seen an overall increase in flights consisting of both passenger and cargo of  285% over the last four years and we know that by expanding our presence into Asia these growth figures will be sustained.”

Floods affecting nearly 25,000 families hit parts of Bolivia last month causing the country’s President Evo Morales to declare a state of emergency after weeks of heavy rain; this has been caused by the climatic phenomenon known as La Niña, and has devastated several parts of the country.

Air Charter Service (ACS) one of the leading operators in cargo and passenger air chartering, received an urgent call from a Spanish based relief agency to carry 10 tonnes of much needed water purification equipment, medical kits, tents, blankets and mosquito nets from Madrid Torrijon Airport on the 12th February 2008, just three days after the agency approached ACS.

The 70cbm cargo was expertly loaded into the AN-12 with only a 90cbm volume, resulting in the on site load master remarking how ‘our skills at Tetris have come in very handy today’.

Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst, ACS said:
“This is the fourth charter that we have successfully operated for this client and ACS’ dedicated broker relationships and the added bonus of the team being fluent in Spanish certainly helps put our customers’ minds at rest. Speaking the language also helped me to secure landing rights and permits with the minimum of delay.”

ACS works to assist governments, charities and aid agencies when ‘every minute counts’ in saving lives. Being very aware of the urgency required in these situations, as a minimum requirement many of the charter brokers at ACS are bi- or tri-lingual. They have supported relief efforts into countries including Algeria, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Sudan and operated a variety of nearly 500 flights in the aftermath of the catastrophic tsunami which struck Thailand on December 26th 2004.

Contact Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst and team at london@aircharter.co.uk

Sometimes the strength of an organisation lies in its commitment to detail and its quality of foresight. This proved truer than usual when Air Charter Service were asked to carry two 31 tonne, four metre high transformers nearly 3,000 miles from the UK to Iran.

Securing a massive Antonov-124 Ruslan, ACS had to plan carefully to ensure that the load could be properly fitted and supported.

Ben Dinsdale, London based Cargo Charter Analyst, describes how, realising that the weight of the transformers was such that they would be too heavy to be supported during the flight on the original bases, “We organised a visit to the factory the week before the flight in order to advise how to spread the weight efficiently by altering the base for optimum loading onto the AN-124.”

Contact Ben Dinsdale, London based Cargo Charter Analyst and team london@aircharter.co.uk

Air Charter Service (ACS) one of the leading names in cargo and passenger air chartering, arranged for an Antonov-12 to carry seven tonnes of urgently needed relief cargo from Spain to Mexico and South America in the aftermath of Hurricane Noel which left widespread flooding and mudslides.

Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst at ACS confirmed the flight on the evening of Friday 2nd November for a 4th November departure. The flight was for the Spanish Government so using his fluent Spanish, Richard was able to negotiate the permits for each country, not an inconsiderable task due to the long duration of the flight and the two drop stops in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The AN-12 carried seven tonnes of medical kits, two water purifying plants, blankets and jerry cans to the effected regions.

Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst, ACS said:
“The challenge with this flight was the route – the 26 hour flight stopped in two different countries on the way and with only 24 hours notice we had to work hard to finalise everything.”

ACS is called in to assist governments, charities and aid agencies when ‘every minute counts’ in saving lives. Being very aware of the urgency required in these situations, as a minimum requirement many of the charter brokers at ACS are bi- or tri-lingual. They have supported relief efforts into countries including Algeria, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Sudan and operated a variety of nearly 500 flights in the aftermath of the catastrophic tsunami which struck Thailand on December 26th 2004.

Contact Richard Thompson, Cargo Charter Analyst and team at london@aircharter.co.uk

Enormous ocean freighters are generally the preferred mode of transport when carrying 200 tonnes of oil drilling equipment from the UK out to the Middle East. However, when the production of 15 massive ‘Christmas tree’, component parts of oil drilling equipment required by an Egyptian oil development was delayed back in November the shippers involved turned to Air Charter Service (ACS) who chartered two mighty AN-124 aircraft.

ACS’ key qualities as an international organization with a high level of professionalism on the ground were vital. The difficulties the Houston-based shipper had in arranging transport from the UK to Egypt were overcome by the smooth and easy interactions of ACS’ New York and East Midlands offices.

However it was the skills of ACS employees on site which proved critical. Ruan Courtney, President and Charter Sales Manager ACS New York, emphasised the importance of the “experience of Ralph Cutting our EMA based Operations Manager, in ensuring that any problems the shipper experienced prior to loading – such as the cargo not being able to fit through the airport gates! - were dealt with efficiently and well in advance of the flight.”

Yet another example of ACS’ ability to offer quick and effective logistics solutions to their customers.

Contact: Ruan Courtney, President and Charter Sales Manager ACS New York and team cargo@aircharterserviceusa.com

With ACS Hong Kong's great contacts, and teamwork between Maureen and her client, they managed to receive the necessary landing permits required for the IL-76 aircraft on the last working day before the long public holiday weekend.

Maureen herself went to Shenzhen airport to make sure the loading went smoothly. The aircraft departed as scheduled, and arrived in Minsk on time.

For all your charter needs contact: cargo@aircharter.com.hk

Air Charter Service (ACS) has been a specialist in outsize cargo transport for the past 15 years. Recently they were able to demonstrate just how accomplished they are in this area of expertise when they assisted one of their clients, a major freight forwarder in Norway, to transport outsized cargo across the world.

ACS were contacted when a leading Norwegian oil company urgently needed to transport some vital oil well equipment from Osaka, Japan to Oslo, Norway. The cargo included 124 oil pipes, all 12 metres long, 30 centimetres in diameter and weighing 110 tonnes in total.

Experienced cargo broker Andy Holmes located an Antonov 124 to transport the cargo in no time. Experience is often the key when dealing with air cargo, and in this case it proved vital as Andy was able to obtain Japanese traffic rights within ten days, thereby meeting the client’s deadline for delivery.

ACS prides itself on quality service with great flexibility to suit the customers’ needs. Once again ACS was able to deliver a full service on an international route and leave another one of their valued clients satisfied.

Air Charter Service plc, the private air charter specialist is delighted to announce that it is to base an Antonov 26 cargo plane at Châteauroux-Déols "Marcel Dassault" Airport, situated 220 km south of Paris. This is the first time that an aircraft has been based at the facility.

Air Charter Service is London-based, with other permanent offices in New York, Dubai and Moscow. Globally recognised as a leading name in passenger and cargo air chartering, it operates around 2,700 flights annually. The company was established in 1990 and provides a complete turnkey service for anyone needing to charter an aircraft on a one-off basis, arranging all aspects of a charter from fully crewed aircraft to ground transfers. ACS monitors real-time movements of more than 50,000 aircraft worldwide and tracks data on airports, fuel prices, legislation and routings.

Justin Bowman, ACS commercial director, comments,

“Châteauroux is perfectly placed for the heartland of the French automotive industry, and basing the Antonov 26 there means that we can better serve the needs of our clients in the auto industry, co-ordinating “just-in-time” deliveries of parts.”

According to local myth, there is a pub in Shropshire where Eric Clapton used to stroll in occasionally and ask if the band would let him join them for a few numbers. That was in the late 1970s; today, any performance by the legendary artist requires meticulous management over an extended period. To illustrate the scale of a Clapton event, his recent packed-stadium tour of the Far East involved the movement of around 25 tons of band and stage equipment between venues.

Eric had not played in Singapore since 1990 — and it was only his second Bangkok performance in 30 years — and audience expectations were high, so every aspect of the tour had to be perfectly handled. Ian Haynes, director of Rock It cargo, turned to Air Charter Service to guarantee that all of his equipment would always be in the right place at the right time. The tour entailed five performances, in five countries, within a nine-day period in January.

Justin Bowman, Air Charter Service’s worldwide commercial director, arranged an Airbus A-300 to carry the vital cargo across thousands of miles: from Bangkok to Singapore, then to Hong Kong, onwards to Shanghai and finally to Seoul. As with any such itinerary, details had to be changed along the way, but ACS always rose to the occasion.

How do you get a Bombardier Learjet LR-60 from Romania to the USA? Yes, you fly it — but what do you do if it is incapable of flight? James Cristofoli, at the ACS London office, knows the answer: you put it inside another aircraft and fly it as cargo.

“It was a challenging project,” he says, “getting an executive jet that could not fly back to the manufacturer for major repairs, following an accident. The distances involved meant that surface transport was not an option for reasons of cost and time.”

The LR-60 was immobile at Baneasa, Bucharest City Airport, and needed to be returned to ICT, Wichita Falls, in Kansas — several thousand miles away. Having a $14 million aircraft out of service is expensive, which is why the customer turned to Air Charter Service. “We were the only company able to offer the customer the earliest possibility that they needed,” says James.

Arranging the necessary Antonov 124 was only part of the job, as three weeks’ detailed flight planning were needed, in alliance with a specialist salvage team. This included essential preparation work on the LR-60, such as creating a bespoke dolly for it, to reduce its height, and removing its rear horizontal stabiliser to reduce its width.

The flight ran smoothly from start to finish and the customer’s Learjet is now back in Kansas where it began life, undergoing $5 million worth of repairs.

When an earthquake hit Trinidad, Ruan Courtney knew that the telephone would soon be ringing in Air Charter Service’s New York office. Sure enough, the quake — measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale — had knocked out power across the island and caused structural damage to buildings. The country’s only liquid natural gas plant was one of the affected sites and specialist equipment, replacement technology and spare parts were needed to bring the plant back on-line.

During the next 12 days, four emergency cargo charters were arranged: a DC10 and a DC8 from Manchester, England, and two Falcon 20 aircraft from Houston, Texas all flew equipment into Port of Spain.

The speed of response helped in restoring production quickly to the plant — a key contributor to the economy of Trinidad, a major LNG supplier to the USA.

Being offered money is all in a day’s work for Ruan Courtney, of Air Charter Service’s New York office — he is used to taking calls about unusual cargo charters. The most recent request was from a Toronto-based customer, who wanted 86 tons of New Zealand two-cent and five-cent coins moved quickly.

Speed of response was essential, as production delays and impending deadlines meant that the cargo needed to be delivered more quickly than scheduled airlines could offer, although cost and service quality were also cited as major consideration.

Ruan responded rapidly with a quote that the customer liked and millions of coins were soon taking off from Winnipeg, bound for Auckland aboard a Boeing 747.