ACMI leasing
ACMI leasing
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
• Hybrid lease
Chapman Freeborn has a presence in 17 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
relationships means that we can source a range of competitive aircraft solutions and at the right price, by leveraging our local
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, catering.
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 aircraft
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 lack of maintenance slot availability as these aircraft will be 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.
Crew
shortage
Crews can be in short supply whether it’s due to demand, delays in crew training or continued sickness. ACMI fills this void with the provision of crew as well as the aircraft.
AOG / Urgent replacement capacity
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. ACMI minimizes service disruption whilst allowing the operator to isolate the issue in hand and maintain schedule integrity.
In uncertain environments, more and more airlines are using ACMI leasing as a long-term solution for sustainable profitability gain. Long-term ACMI planning can address sufficient capacity needs during the peak season whilst providing much lower fixed costs during the low season. Moreover, by offering not only ACMI-in but also ACMI-out solutions, Chapman Freeborn can offer additional revenues streams during the low season. Chapman Freeborn are one of the largest ACMI solution providers globally, offering various, flexible ACMI solutions worldwide.
Advantages of ACMI?
There are advantages to ACMI leasing for both the lessor and lessee when leasing additional capacity. For the lessee, it’s clear, they receive the flexibility that ACMI provides whilst being provided with supplemental seasonal capacity without having to invest heavily on dry leased or purchased aircraft and crew on a much longer term commitment.
The Lessor is not only able to take advantage of counter-seasonal demand from other regions, ensure fleet optimisation and generating revenue year round but they also lower risk to their airline. Under an ACMI agreement, the Lessor is not responsible for such incremental costs as fluctuating fuel and currency, ground handling charges and passenger delay compensation liability, such as EU Regulation 261/2004.
ACMI leasing is a flexible solution in terms of aircraft type, the period of operation and the selected route network whilst providing airlines with a level certainty in unprecedented times, by preserving service continuity and improving fleet efficiency.
Short term ACMI
Operational disruption can occur at any time and it is vital for operators to maintain programme integrity with minimal disturbance to passengers. Chapman Freeborn is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year providing operational support to airlines globally.
The smallest of delay can have a considerable impact on an airlines schedule with the knockon effect disrupting operations for days. This can be caused by an AOG, crew sickness, bad weather or strike action and it is paramount for airlines to minimize delays.
Operational disruption can occur at any time and it is vital for operators to maintain programme integrity with minimal disturbance to passengers. Chapman Freeborn is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year providing operational support to airlines globally. The smallest of delay can have a considerable
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. Whilst isolating the disrupted schedule to Chapman Freeborn, the airlines operational team is then able to focus on preserving service continuity.
In addition to providing aircraft, our ACMI Leasing team is supported directly by our dedicated OBC team (onboard courier), private jet and cargo departments, giving Chapman Freeborn the expertise and manpower to support operations depts globally in the provision of crew hotac, movement of spare
Long term ACMI
Airlines turn to Long-term ACMI leasing as it is an effective solution to a planned requirement and period of time, whilst not holding the lessee (client) to the longer term financial commitments and overheads of a dry or operational lease.
This measured approach is ideal during strategic expansion, when testing new routes and markets, seasonal demand or for start-up airlines as ACMI avoids significant up-front investment in aircraft, crew, maintenance, all with minimal financial exposure.
Airlines can also look to use ACMI leasing when forecasting maintenance schedules, lease deferrals, aircraft deliveries of their existing fleet and crew training. All of which have the the potential to face lengthy delays and operators can forecast such and plan the provision of ACMI aircraft in advance coverage of their schedule with minimal operational and service disruption.
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.
We have airline partners worldwide due to our extensive regional office coverage across six continents, its through this global network of operators and local relationships that we source aircraft in advance for planned requirements to supplement aircraft fleets and to improve fleet efficiency during seasons.
Cargo ACMI
In unprecedented times, airlines globally are turning to Cargo ACMI leasing to facilitate the increased demand for freight capacity, whilst allowing airlines to remain versatile and react quickly to the ever changing needs of a dynamic aviation market.
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.
Chapman Freeborn has been able to adapt our ACMI leasing offering on the back of the strength of our supplier relationships globally, offering freighter capacity from our own in-house award winning Cargo division to the cargo market. Chapman Freeborn has access to all aircraft types to suit your capacity needs and has the expertise to assist in this specialized field.
Dry lease
A dry lease 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.
A dry lease agreement will be impacted by a number of elements including depreciation, maintenance, insurance as well as the political and geographical location of the lessee and typically lasts upwards of two years.
Dry leasing is a more cost effective lease over a longer period of time for a lessee as they would not be outsourcing costs associated with ACMI (Wet or Damp lease) such as crew (hotac&travel), maintenance and insurance, of which they have no control over and these aspects would be managed by themselves. Our team of consultants provide robust financial solutions and strategic advice tailored specifically to the need of your business and the unique dynamics of the aviation industry.
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 crew, lower cost of personnel, strike action etc. In the CMI model, the client’s aircraft is dry leased to an operator which wet leases it back to the client with crew, maintenance and insurance, while the aircraft is operated under the lessee’s (client’s) call sign. Chapman Freeborns forward thinking approach can help operators identify the possibility to utilize their aircraft and surplus crews with this unique type of lease.
Why use Chapman Freeborn?
Chapman Freeborn is a global market leader in aircraft leasing, with support from our 27 regional offices around the world.
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.
• Global presence, local knowledge, managing cultural differences&language
• Excellent reputation
• Loyal customer&supplier base
• Experienced team with extensive industry knowledge
• Commercially astute& financially competent
• Forward thinking strategic and operational support
• Increased buying power due to the number of contracts Chapman Freeborn operate annually on a global scale
• H24 Office operating 24/7/365 ready to support any emergency capacity requirements
• Fast, reliable sourcing and provision of aircraft
• Greater strategic flexibility
• Proactive approach
• Supplemental seasonal capacity
• Fleet optimisation
• Avoid long term fixed costs by not purchasing aircraft or hiring crew