With charter passenger footprint growth in the Middle East of 100% this year, charter broker Chapman Freeborn is making its MEBAA show debut and highlighting its services for the India, Middle East, and Africa (IMEA) markets. “We see this as a great opportunity to network and strengthen our relationships with our suppliers and partners and connect with all the industry leaders,” said Claudia Krajhanzl, v-p for passenger services in the region. “This will keep our relationships strong.”

Chapman Freeborn opened its Dubai office in 1995 and since then has seen significant growth in the local charter market. While there were many fewer charter providers and brokers in Dubai through the early 2000s, she said, “Now Dubai is a massive hub for aviation.”

Although there has long been speculation that the Middle East charter market would shift to smaller aircraft, that still isn’t the case, according to Krajhanzl. “We’re still witnessing the same tendencies in the region. It’s quite different than the U.S. and Europe," she told AIN. "People here prioritize ultra-long-range and heavy jets for trips from the Middle East to Asia and Europe. There are quite a lot of trips within the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries and those are done mainly with large jets.

“While people say there is big demand for small aircraft, the reality is whenever they base smaller aircraft here, they tend to be less successful. Clients prefer larger cabins, and in this area midsize jets tend to be slightly more acceptable [versus light jets]. The profile of the passengers, however, they are not so keen on light jets. It might change in the future, but we’re still seeing that.” 

Where there is demand for smaller aircraft is from companies that aren’t headquartered in the UAE. Such companies tend to send teams for tours to nearby countries and in this case a small aircraft might fit their needs. 

Whatever the size of the aircraft, customers insist on reliable airborne connectivity. “They have the expectation that they’re Wi-Fi-equipped,” Krajhanzl said. “We see clients refusing to fly on aircraft with no Wi-Fi. When we provide options, we clarify whether or not it has Wi-Fi so they can make an informed decision. We still see a lot of airplanes without it.”

Chapman Freeborn has its own charter operating division in the U.S., but in the IMEA market brokerage services are the preferred avenue for serving customers. “If they contact us instead of the operator, they would have access to a wide variety of operators as opposed to one,” Krajhanzl said.

"This allows them to have a comparison point. The fact that we’ve been here more than 50 years gives us the expertise to anticipate issues we might face on particular routes to make sure issues don’t arise. Customers have the option of a headache-free experience. Also, we are a global player, and that allows us to negotiate rates with operators rather than a client seldom booking and not having buying power.”

Pricing is not the most important aspect, she added. “It’s due to our expertise. We take care of everything from the initial request to the moment the customer leaves the terminal. The majority of clients still want one-on-one interaction, and we offer 24/7 account management. They like personalized service, most of the time, through the phone. Now with WhatsApp, it’s very convenient. We continuously communicate with them.”

With 18 people on its passenger team in the Chapman Freeborn Dubai office, the company is positioned for growth in the Middle East. “We are definitely going through a growth period,” she said, “and our objective is to continue to do so. We recently opened an office in Saudi Arabia, and this shows our commitment to this region and the stability of the company.”