CharterSync brings visibility into time-critical air cargo booking operations

CharterSync brings visibility into time-critical air cargo booking operations (Photo: Shutterstock)

CharterSync, a startup catering to the air cargo charter market, launched at the Transport Logistic event in Munich, with the company demonstrating its innovative platform that helps businesses book air cargo charter planes on-demand.

FreightWaves spoke with CharterSync’s founders Ed Gillett and Simon Watson, to understand the workings of the startup and how it plans to bring visibility into a niche segment within the air cargo market. “CharterSync is the quickest way to source an aircraft in the air cargo charter market. What we’re looking to do now is leverage this new technology that we’ve developed and make freight forwarders charter an aircraft in a matter of minutes,” said Gillett.

Both Gillett and Watson have spent considerable time as airline pilots, observing in close proximity, the inefficiencies within the current go-now booking arrangements. “Smart technology offers capabilities that manually are time-intensive and often cannot capture all suitable aircraft in the time available,” said Gillet. “CharterSync is designed to maximize available air charter options, coordinate crew availability and optimize fleet utilization, and our system does this in real time, giving customers control and choice as well as simplifying the process.”

Before getting down to developing the platform, Gillett and Watson met with airline operators and freight forwarding companies to better understand the current booking process and to structure a solution that addresses all the pain points and provides visibility into the market.

The founders proceeded to work with a software development firm for three months, where they drew out the blueprints for a minimum viable product. Watson, with a background in writing algorithms aside from his airline pilot experience, spent about a year and a half on building the back end of the platform – designing the algorithms that form the core of their offering.

“Our system is about freight forwarders sending requests and gaining quotes back from the airline operators as quickly as possible. We’ve designed our user interface in a way that makes sure that on our native mobile applications, operators can reply to a request and make a quote in a matter of minutes,” said Watson.

As CharterSync is coursing through unfamiliar territory within the air charter landscape, the company had to develop all its procedures from the ground up – meaning, the platform and its affiliated smartphone applications had to be aligned with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) that are universally recognized as rudimentary to airline safety operations.

Nonetheless, to gain traction in the market, it is essential that CharterSync rides on the ever evolving behavioral attributes of consumers with regard to technology. Watson contended that time is of the essence, and that businesses are now opening up to the possibilities of technology in speeding up operations, removing inefficiencies, and even in procurement of commodities.

“The introduction of technology has been shown to speed up the procurement process for a variety of different commodities across a number of markets. At CharterSync, we want to combine sophisticated software with a knowledgeable and highly capable team,” said Watson. “CharterSync truly is at the forefront of a dynamic change for time-critical air charter bookings.”

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Compliance

Brokerage Compliance Symposium

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Awards

F3 Awards Dinner

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
FreightTech

F3: Future of Freight Festival

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

October 27, 2026 – October 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
Awards F3 Awards Dinner Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Oct 27 – Oct 28 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now