PRESS RELEASE – Global aircraft charter specialist Chapman Freeborn has appointed long-serving Russi Batliwala as its new chairman and welcomed back Eric Erbacher to replace him as CEO.

Batliwala is a well-known face in the aircraft charter industry and began his journey with the company as a trainee aviation broker 33 years ago. He took over as CEO in 2009 and has since overseen a period of growth and expansion.

“It has been an incredible journey since I first arrived at this company in 1987 and transitioning from CEO to Chairman allows me to now have a different perspective on the business, and provides an opportunity to add value in a new way”, Batliwala comments. “I will no longer be involved in day-to-day operations, which has been my focus for the last 33 years, moving to represent the group at a board high level, working on further acquisitions. We are at a very exciting time in our history because we have new owners who want to invest in the growth of the business. Already, one year on, as part of the Avia Solutions Group, it has proved to be a perfect fit for us.”

Eric Erbacher, who arrives from Cargolux Airlines where he was Director Charter Services & ACMI, previously spent three years working for Chapman Freeborn as Regional Director Asia and returns with a remit to continue the company’s growth strategy.

“I am excited to be back at Chapman Freeborn in order to support the group and increase our global footprint further”, says Erbacher. “This is, of course, a challenging time for the aviation industry, especially because of the Covid-19 situation, but we believe we have the confidence, capability and backing required at Chapman Freeborn to continue providing our clients best-in-class service.”