Our Air Partner Freight team is dedicated to deliver the best possible service 24/7.
Working from our global offices, we cover any AOG mission worldwide and are ready to assist.
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MEET THE TEAM
An Aircraft on Ground (AOG) can be a very expensive event. Just one reason why it is important to have the most experienced people working on such projects, to get the urgent aircraft parts or crew as quickly as possible to their final destination.
With a full AOG assistance service, you can rely on our Air Partner Freight team 24/7. With our network of global offices, we cover any AOG mission quickly.
Put a face to the name and meet some of our global team members that go the extra mile for you.
Office location: Fort Lauderdale, U.S.
Jack Burt
Vice President of Freight US
Working for Air Partner since:
February 2018
Why do you enjoy what you do?
I truly enjoy being able to provide our clients with competitive, creative and diverse aircraft charter solutions, each and every day. From small turbo props and light jets to large intercontinental wide body freighters and heavy haul speciality aircraft, each flight is so very different! One day we are operating quick charters moving essential time critical components that keep factories running, then the next day, we are planning large project charters transporting huge transformers or oil & gas equipment involving weeks or months of planning. Being able to provide such a great mix of cargo aircraft charter solutions is what keeps me interested, intrigued and happy to be a Freight specialist.
Your biggest AOG challenge so far:
On behalf of a large US based passenger airline, we were tasked with moving a replacement engine and stand for a stranded B767-300 in a remote region of North-East Canada. Competing with other logistics providers, we mobilized quickly to propose the most competitive and timely charter solution which was a B747-400F aircraft already in position at origin Chicago (ORD). After analysing the packing list with B747F loadmasters, we were notified by the carrier that due to FAA standards for loading “tall & rigid cargo” the aircraft would require to be filled with “frangible” cargo to increase the safety within the cargo cabin for the flight crew (in the case of loose cargo during flight). To fill this aircraft was a major challenge that we overcame by purchasing and providing 2,000 empty wood skids to load into the cargo cabin, all procured and delivered within 18 hours. Adding to the complexity of this operation, the main deck loader used to offload cargo at destination was in poor mechanical shape due to the Arctic conditions at that site. All this created a challenging and time sensitive work environment as every hour of “down time” (for the stranded aircraft) caused the airline thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Thankfully, with the assistance of all the ground crews, cargo handlers, equipment experts and pilots, were able to execute this flight flawlessly and in a very timely manner.
Office location: London-Gatwick, UK
Robert Jubb
Trading Manager - Freight
Working for Air Partner since:
September 2017
Why do you enjoy what you do?
Every day is different – and most are extremely rewarding. There is a real sense of pride in being able to deliver watertight AOG-rescue solutions to carriers (many of which are household names) with their AOG situations; many of which we handle on an exclusive basis. It is also a real team effort – we could not be so successful without our dedicated 24-7 in-house operations team, along with excellent contact with decision makers via our market leading commercial jets and ACMI departments respectively.
Your biggest AOG challenge so far:
Every situation is different, and none are without their unique challenges. One challenge that springs to mind is a situation that develops during the delivery of cargo to an airport in Germany, for an urgent flight to recover an AOG aircraft in the Canary Islands. With the cargo enroute to the airport, a member of the flight crew expecting to operate on the charter flight was involved in a road traffic accident and was unable to continue operating the flight. With sufficient time in hand, we were able to position another aircraft to the departing airport without any financial or time implications to the client.
Office location: Cologne, Germany
Christian Oeffling
Senior Freight Charter Sales
Working for AP since:
November 2007
Why do you enjoy what you do?
I enjoy working at Air Partner for many reasons. To be in touch with a broad range of clients globally every day offers me such a great variety. The versatility of work is very exciting. Every request is different and pushes both myself and my team to find the perfect solution for every client. We have a very good team spirit in our office and can always count on the internal support from colleagues around the globe, which is in my opinion very unique in the charter business.
Biggest AOG challenge so far:
I already organized lots of AOG flights, and everyone is challenging. Sometimes it is only a small electrical part to ship on a VIP Jet - but Airport Slots can cause problems. Or we have to move aircraft engines by AN12 aircraft and the loading is very tight. So we have to be involved with handling providers and airlines from the start. One The most challenging request was from recently. We had to move some Fan blades in a crate – after the goods showed up at the airport it came out that the crate was bigger than initially mentioned. So we had to remove the blades carefully from the crate, repack them. That of course took some time – all on a Saturday night/Sunday morning. Unfortunately all came together as the aircraft crew was over their duty hours – so we had to bring in another aircraft.
In the end the charter departed with a small delay, the Fan blades could be replaced at their destination and the AOG aircraft carried the passengers to their final destination in sunny brazil.
Office location: Istanbul, Turkey
Emir Ozdabak
Regional Freight Manager - Turkey, Middle East & C.I.S.
Working for AP since:
January 2010
Why do you enjoy what you do?
I really enjoy the challenges that work brings daily. We arrange and coordinate many important items for our clients within short time periods and offer them seamless solutions every day. Still each charter flight we book is different and has its own scenario, that makes this job so exciting. Every day you learn something new. I always enjoy this complexity and thrive under this environment. I have the pleasure of handling time critical projects and making our customers happy.
Biggest AOG challenge so far:
We booked an AOG charter for a client which was an AN12 for transporting a CFM56 aircraft engine to the Ivory Coast. The airline was AOG at Abidjan and the passengers were still waiting at the hotel so there was no time to lose. We found the option for our client in 20 minutes, booked the flight immediately and arranged all handling requirements. To organise the flight permits we had to get approval from 7 different countries in such a short time. Fortunately, we could arrange the permits in a timely manner and get the AOG aircraft airborne again without any further costs occurring to the client.
Office location: Singapore
Oscar Thwin
Vice President of Freight
Asia Pacific
Working for Air Partner since:
March 2019
Why do you enjoy what you do? Aviation is my life. I have been working for over 40 years in the freight charter business. It has been a big dream for me moving to Singapore in March 2019 and being responsible for the freight charter business for Air Partner across Asia Pacific region. I have been working within the aviation industry since 1977. I have always enjoyed my job as I really embrace meeting people, helping others, taking challenges and putting my heart and soul to achieve the goal at hand.
Your biggest AOG challenge so far:
Every day challenges are different in scope, but the biggest AOG challenge that stands out to me is an instance where I had to explain to an airline how to load a Thrust Reverser on a B747-400F with only 1 inch of clearance, through the side cargo door. The airline had originally refused carriage of the cargo as they had deemed it “non- loadable”. But having had years of loadmaster experience of the Boeing 747 series, I had to go over and visit the airline and explain to their load master, on the aircraft itself, as to how they could load the reverser without compromising safety. Once this was clear, the airline accepted the cargo for carriage and the charter flew without loading complications.
By not taking “No” as the final answer, I was thus able to save my client the cost of having to fly this cargo in a much larger Antonov aircraft which my competitor had been suggesting, which was over twice the price of the Boeing 747 option. To this day, our client has never forgotten how we had his requirements front of mind.