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ACMI & Aircraft Leasing Solutions

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Providing end to end capacity solutions worldwide.

Chapman Freeborn is exceptionally placed to provide capacity for all aircraft leasing needs to airlines worldwide through our dedicated inter-airline ACMI leasing division. Whether you require a last minute ACMI sub charter or are seeking additional aircraft to fulfil a busy summer flight schedule, our experienced team of experts offer a wide scope of options for airlines looking for ACMI Wet lease (long and short term), ACMI Damp lease, Dry lease and Hybrid lease.

Chapman Freeborn has a presence in 19 countries, spanning six continents and we have access to over 50,000 aircraft worldwide and are constantly monitoring the availability of aircraft and the latest regulations in each region. Our global market leading strength and extensive network of airline relationships means that we can source a range of competitive aircraft solutions and at the right price, by leveraging our local market knowledge and network of connections.

What is ACMI leasing?

ACMI stands for Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance.

An ACMI lease is also known as a wet or damp lease. A wet lease is a leasing arrangement whereby a supplying airline (the lessor) provides an Aircraft, full Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) to a customer airline (the lessee) which pays by the number of block hours operated. Compared to a damp lease, where the lessor would provide the cockpit crew only and the lessee providing their own cabin crew on the leased aircraft.

Damp leasing is useful when a lessee requires additional capacity but has surplus cabin crew of their own. This not only reduces some cost to the lessee by removing the crew hotac and crew daily allowances but also maximizes operational efficiency and onboard service familiarity. The lessee provides the ground services such as fuel, handling, and catering.

Contact us today to find out more about our aircraft leasing solutions e-mail acmi@chapmanfreeborn.aero or contact your nearest office.

We offer:

  • ACMI Wet lease (Long and short term)
  • ACMI Damp lease
  • Dry lease
  • Sub-charter
  • Aircraft leasing for AOG situations
  • Hybrid lease
Request a quote

Our areas of expertise

Long term Featured

ACMI Aircraft leasing – Long term

Our ACMI Leasing team has considerable aircraft charter and lease management experience going back four decades, whether its providing aircraft for cross regional leasing, wide bodied aircraft for the Hajj pilgrimage, regional aircraft on PSO routes or peak summer holiday demand, Chapman Freeborn has your requirement covered.

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ACMI Aircraft leasing – Short term

Short term ACMI leasing is an emergency recovery service for airlines. Chapman Freeborn offers unrivalled operational and commercial airline experience and with our extensive network of connections and our global database, Chapman Freeborn will source the most suitable solution in a timely fashion.

Cargo ACMI

Cargo ACMI leasing

Just like ACMI leasing in the passenger airline world, cargo operators can benefit from the flexibility that ACMI offers by not having to commit to long term fixed costs and investments in aircraft and crew when purchasing or dry leasing aircraft. Instead, they can contract as required, on a monthly or annual basis, depending on their own contractual demands with their clients.

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Dry aircraft lease

A dry lease aircraft is a leasing arrangement whereby an aircraft financing entity (lessor), provides an aircraft only (without crew, engineers or ground staff). An airline contracts the aircraft (without crew, maintenance or insurance) from a leasing company or bank, placing the aircraft on their own air operators certificate (AOC) and providing the aircraft registration, however uses its own flight and cabin crew to operate the aircraft.

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Hybrid lease

Hybrid lease or CMI (Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) is a combination of both a dry and wet lease and a solution for airlines with aircraft capacity, but the need to outsource the operating segment of operation be it due to: lack of flight crew, lower cost of personnel, strike action etc.

Urgent replacement

Urgent replacement capacity / AOG

ACMI provides the lessee with replacement aircraft even at short notice. An aircraft and crew can be wet leased on a short term basis when airlines are faced with sudden unforeseen issues such as a technical fault with an aircraft or lack of available crew.

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What are the benefits of ACMI?

An ACMI lease generally lasts between up to 12 months and is typically utilised for the following reasons as opposed to investing heavily in new aircraft as the operator would only be paying for the aircraft when it flies compared to carrying the overhead during the low season also:

Seasonal demand / Network expansion

Each market and region will have a peak season and airlines will always be looking to expand their network by testing new routes and adding frequency to their schedule. Both requirements can be in the range of 2-6 months period (or longer) and operators will look to lease aircraft in to cover this need for additional capacity as ACMI provides the flexibility required whilst also being a cost effective solution.

Maintenance delays / Late delivery of airplanes

Planning maintenance downtime is the easy part, ensuring that there are no delays during maintenance or unplanned maintenance occurrences is a huge challenge for operators and can cause considerable schedule disruption or cancellation to service when this occurs. Such delays can be weeks to several months in time.

When faced with order backlogs due to demand, this leads to aircraft delivery delays for the Aircraft Manufacturers. In current times, we are seeing many operating lease deliveries being deferred until later in the year or beyond, this may also cause delayed deliveries due to a lack of maintenance slot availability as these aircraft will require further maintenance due to the downtime experienced.

Longer term ACMI leasing solutions ensures that planned scheduled flying is unaffected during these periods of uncertainty.

Flight crew shortage

Crews can be in short supply whether it's due to demand, delays in cabin crew training or continued sickness. ACMI fills this void with the provision of the crew as well as aircraft.

Why choose Chapman Freeborn for your ACMI needs?

Chapman Freeborn is a global market leader in aircraft leasing, with support from our 29 regional offices around the world. Our ACMI services allow operators to meet seasonal and unexpected demand, seizing new market opportunities with dedicated aircraft.

Our comprehensive market knowledge and operational expertise, combined with our ability to quickly identify and respond to industry trends in both passenger and cargo fields, allows us to place aircraft successfully across a broad spectrum of global buyers and operators.

Our team of experts handle every aspect of the lease contract, utilising our market knowledge and commercial experience to structure and negotiate agreements, and manage the lease throughout its contract period.

Enhanced airline data and aircraft tracking software

Our software enables the close monitoring of fleet changes, C-Checks and maintenance schedules.

Unparalleled options

ACMI, aircraft wet lease, aircraft damp lease or aircraft dry lease solutions. Increased buying power due to the number of contracts Chapman Freeborn operates annually on a global scale.

Global coverage

High quality standard of service covering North and South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. H24 Office operating 24/7/365 ready to support any emergency capacity requirements

Quality assured

We work with IOSA registered carriers and ETOPS holders who are compliant with the highest airline quality standards.

Experienced team with extensive industry knowledge

We've supported clients for half a century and covered more than nine million air miles in the process. Excellent reputation, loyal customer and supplier base.

Fast, reliable sourcing and provision of aircraft

Greater strategic flexibility, and proactive approach. Supplemental seasonal capacity and fleet optimisation.