Why Redcoat? Because freight forwarding should feel simpler.
Redcoat combines international freight forwarding, customs, procurement and specialist logistics through one experienced team.
REDCOAT
Nearly five decades of experience means knowing when the standard answer won't work.
Experience matters most when something changes, a document is missing, a route stops working or a shipment simply does not fit the usual process.
That is when having people who understand freight, customs and the wider logistics journey makes the biggest difference.
The way we work is just as important as what we move.
We understand the shipment first.
Before choosing a route, we look at the cargo, destination, documentation, timescale and anything that could affect the movement.
We stay involved.
You are not passed between departments every time the shipment reaches another stage. We keep the process connected.
We solve problems.
Difficult cargo, unusual destinations, specialist documentation and complicated movements are where a freight forwarder should add the most value.
Not every shipment is straightforward. That's exactly the point.
The more complicated the shipment becomes, the more important the forwarder becomes.
Dangerous goods. Pharmaceuticals. Customs problems. Unusual cargo. Difficult destinations. Procurement. Urgent parts. Controlled movements.
These are not exceptions to what we do. They are part of the reason customers come to Redcoat.
More than freight forwarding.
Freight. Customs. Procurement. One conversation.
International shipments often involve multiple suppliers, carriers, customs processes and documents.
Redcoat can coordinate more of that journey through one team, reducing the number of handovers and giving you a clearer point of contact.
Technology helps. People still matter.
Freight is easier when you can talk to someone who understands the shipment.
We believe good communication should be part of the service, not something customers have to chase for.
That means clear updates, practical answers and a team that stays involved when something changes.
Have something difficult to move? That's where we come in.
Tell us what you're shipping, where it needs to go and what makes it unusual.
50 years. One story.
Five decades of moving forward.
This is the remarkable story of how a small airline was born, grew and survived alongside much larger carriers during a boom time for commercial aviation. As wide-body jets transformed the industry, Redcoat began its journey with just £15,000 in borrowed funds, building a business through determination, ingenuity and a willingness to do things differently.
It is also the story of a unique company whose commitment extended far beyond simply moving freight and people. Overseas offices remained open through wars, coups and periods of civil unrest, sometimes with bullets flying outside the door. Despite tragedy and many setbacks along the way, Redcoat forged lasting relationships with the communities it served, helped launch a major charitable project, and supported many other causes by transporting essential goods at little or no cost.
Through decades of change, perseverance, innovation and countless hours of hard work kept Redcoat moving forward. From its beginnings as an airline to its evolution into cargo and logistics, the business continued to adapt while remaining true to the relationships and values built along the way. This timeline captures some of the defining moments in that journey — the successes and challenges, the people and places, and the events that shaped Redcoat into the company it is today. Above all, it is a tribute to everyone, past and present, whose dedication and contribution helped make Redcoat's remarkable longevity possible.
The Redcoat story began with determination, innovation and just £15,000 of borrowed money.
Commercial aviation was entering a period of extraordinary change. Larger airlines were introducing new wide-body aircraft and international air travel was expanding rapidly.
Against that background, Redcoat entered the market as a small specialist all-freighter operation.
West Africa was at the heart of the business from the beginning.
Redcoat's freighter operations became regular visitors along the West African coast, serving destinations including The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana.
The company began establishing relationships with communities and businesses that would remain central to Redcoat for the next five decades.
This was the beginning of the Redcoat story.
After initially building its cargo operation using externally provided aircraft capacity, Redcoat took a major step forward.
A Bristol Britannia freighter entered service under the Redcoat name.
The Britannia was a long-range four-engine turboprop capable of carrying substantial freight loads over long distances.
It was well suited to Redcoat's growing West African operation.
The company was no longer simply arranging cargo capacity.
Redcoat was flying the freight itself.
Redcoat Express Limited was incorporated on 17 March 1978.
Importantly, this happened while Redcoat Air Cargo was still operating aircraft.
The foundations of the freight-forwarding business therefore developed alongside Redcoat's airline activities rather than simply appearing after the airline closed.
At the same time, Redcoat's aircraft operations continued expanding.
Within a relatively short period, Redcoat had opened offices in key West African cities.
These offices supported existing customers while generating new business with international traders, mining organisations and major agricultural concerns.
Redcoat also helped smaller businesses begin trading internationally, connecting local companies with overseas suppliers and markets.
Redcoat aircraft began appearing far beyond the original West African routes.
Operations expanded across Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East.
Redcoat increasingly undertook specialist charter operations, including freight supporting UK government and defence requirements.
Challenging and unusual cargo became part of the company's developing reputation.
Redcoat was becoming much more than an airline. It was becoming an international network.
Redcoat looked beyond conventional aircraft and became involved in proposals for a new generation of enormous freight airships.
The concept explored whether large cargo airships could provide an alternative method of transporting heavy freight internationally.
The project never entered Redcoat service, but demonstrated the company's willingness to consider unconventional logistics solutions.
In 1980, Redcoat Air Cargo found itself appearing on television screens across the UK.
Redcoat's Bristol Britannia G-BRAC was used in the BBC television drama Buccaneer, a 13-part series centred around the fictional cargo airline Redair.
For filming, the aircraft was repainted in Redair colours and became one of the most recognisable features of the series.
The programme gave viewers a rare glimpse into the world of international air cargo at a time when Redcoat itself was operating freight services around the world.
In February 1980, one of Redcoat's Bristol Britannia aircraft was lost following departure from Boston.
It remains the darkest chapter in Redcoat Air Cargo's history and deserves to be remembered with respect.
Despite tragedy and significant setbacks, Redcoat continued.
Some of the markets in which Redcoat operated experienced coups, political instability, civil unrest and armed conflict.
Yet overseas offices remained operational through extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
At times, unrest was taking place immediately outside Redcoat's offices.
Those experiences helped build unusually strong relationships with local communities.
Redcoat did not simply operate in West Africa. It became part of the communities it served.
The Canadair CL-44 represented the next stage in Redcoat's ambitions as an international cargo airline.
The aircraft offered considerably greater freight capability and specialist loading possibilities.
However, it arrived during an increasingly difficult period for the airline.
Operating costs and aircraft reliability pressures were becoming increasingly challenging.
Operating a specialist cargo airline was an expensive and demanding business.
Aircraft reliability issues combined with mounting financial pressures.
In 1982, Redcoat Air Cargo entered receivership and eventually ceased flying.
After approximately six extraordinary years, Redcoat stopped operating its own aircraft.
For many companies, that would have been the end.
For Redcoat, it became a new beginning.
The freight-forwarding side of Redcoat survived the end of the airline.
Instead of owning the aircraft carrying the freight, Redcoat increasingly arranged cargo through scheduled airlines.
Carriers serving Redcoat's established markets included British Caledonian and Sierra Leone Airlines.
The knowledge, relationships and experience built during the airline years remained.
The aircraft had changed. The freight kept moving.
Redcoat developed a modern, secure and computerised cargo facility at Banjul International Airport.
The investment strengthened a relationship with The Gambia that had begun during the airline's earliest years.
Redcoat's relationship with the communities it served also extended beyond commercial freight.
The company supported charitable organisations and community projects by transporting goods at little or no cost.
Redcoat also helped kick-start a major charitable project.
Redcoat's presence in both the United Kingdom and United States helped strengthen connections with West African communities living overseas.
Over time, Redcoat became an increasingly familiar name within the West African diaspora.
The business continued connecting families, businesses and communities between Europe, North America and West Africa.
Airfreight remained central to Redcoat, but the company's capabilities continued to expand.
Services increasingly included:
Airfreight
Seafreight
Courier services
Procurement
International forwarding
The business that had once operated its own Britannia freighters was becoming a complete international logistics provider.
A new generation began preparing Redcoat for its future.
The company's international office and agency network now supported a wide range of services, including airfreight, courier, seafreight and specialist procurement.
The objective was to preserve the experience, relationships and character that had sustained Redcoat for decades while preparing the business for its next chapter.
Processes were reviewed.
Operations were strengthened.
Systems were improved.
Working practices began to be modernised.
The objective was not to lose what made Redcoat different.
It was to build stronger foundations around it.
Keep what makes Redcoat special. Improve everything that can be better.
The Redcoat of today looks very different from the small all-freighter operation of 1976.
Aircraft ownership has been replaced by worldwide carrier and agency networks.
Paper systems have become digital.
International supply chains have changed beyond recognition.
But the central idea remains remarkably familiar:
Find a way to get the freight where it needs to go.
Investment continues in people, technology, operational processes and the company's international network.
Five decades of experience are being combined with a modern approach to international freight forwarding.
New energy.
New drive.
Same mission.
Better service.
Redcoat is entering its next chapter with ambitious plans for growth and improvement.
Investment will continue in people, technology, processes, services and the company's international network.
New locations.
New markets.
Better technology.
Smarter systems.
Stronger processes.
New services.
A growing international network.
West Africa will remain at the heart of Redcoat while the business continues strengthening its wider airfreight, seafreight, customs, procurement and specialist logistics capabilities.
The aircraft may have changed. The technology has certainly changed.
The determination to find a solution when a shipment isn't straightforward has not.
THE NEXT 50 YEARS START HERE.
Local presence. International reach.
People on the ground. Support where you need it.
Freight works better when you have people on the ground.
Redcoat operates from locations in the United Kingdom and The Gambia, giving our customers direct access to teams at both ends of some of our most established international routes.
Whether you need to drop off cargo, collect a shipment, arrange customs clearance or simply speak to someone locally, find the location you need below.
Contact Redcoat →Not sure which location you need?
Speak to the Redcoat team →Our UK locations.
Crawley
Redcoat's UK head office, located close to London Gatwick Airport.
Endeavour House
2 Maxwell Way
Crawley
West Sussex
RH10 9SY
Monday – Friday
9:00am – 5:00pm
London
A convenient London drop-off location for customers delivering cargo into the Redcoat network.
Africa Sky – Unit A
Astbury Business Park
Astbury Road
London
SE15 2NW
Alex
Our Gambia locations.
Banjul Airport
Redcoat's main Gambia freight operation, located at Banjul International Airport.
Banjul International Freight Centre
Banjul International Airport
The Gambia
Monday – Thursday
9:00am – 5:30pm
Friday – Sunday
9:00am – 12:30pm
Kairaba
A convenient central location for customer drop-offs, collections and procurement enquiries.
QGroup House
Kairaba Avenue
Serrekunda
The Gambia
Banjul Port
Redcoat's sea-freight clearing location serving cargo moving through the Port of Banjul.
Daniel Goddard Street
Banjul
The Gambia
Monday – Friday
9:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday
9:00am – 1:00pm
People on the ground. Support where you need it.
International logistics still depends on local knowledge.
Our locations give customers access to teams who understand the local freight environment, customs processes and practical challenges at each end of the journey.
Need to speak to us? We're closer than you think.
Business should move more than freight. It should move communities forward.
Responsibility starts with how we choose to do business.
The way we do business matters.
Redcoat has always been built around relationships — with our customers, our partners, our people and the communities connected by the services we provide.
Our approach to social responsibility is simple: operate responsibly, treat people fairly and look for practical ways our business can make a positive contribution beyond the shipments we move.
We believe a successful business should create value for more than the business itself.
Responsibility starts with how we work every day.
Treat people well.
We aim to create a working environment built around respect, fairness, opportunity and the contribution every individual makes to the business.
Stay connected.
Our business has grown through communities and long-standing relationships. We believe in maintaining those connections and supporting them wherever we reasonably can.
Do business properly.
Responsible business means acting with integrity, meeting our obligations and making decisions with customers, employees, partners and communities in mind.
Connected by freight. Connected by much more.
Logistics connects businesses, families and communities.
Behind every shipment there is a reason for it to move. It might support a business, supply an organisation, provide equipment, deliver essential goods or connect people across borders.
We never want to lose sight of the people at the other end of the freight journey.
Small actions. Meaningful impact.
Supporting community initiatives and organisations where our resources, logistics experience or connections can make a practical difference.
Looking for opportunities to support charitable organisations and worthwhile causes connected with the communities in which we operate.
Supporting people through employment, development, training and opportunities to build valuable experience.
Building long-term relationships with suppliers, agents, businesses and organisations rather than viewing them simply as transactions.
A responsible company starts with its own people.
People build businesses.
We want Redcoat to be a place where people are respected, supported and given the opportunity to develop.
That means maintaining a safe and professional workplace, encouraging development and recognising that different experiences and perspectives make a stronger organisation.
Doing the right thing should not be complicated.
We expect our business relationships to be based on honesty, professionalism and mutual respect.
Our responsibilities extend beyond delivering freight. They include how we conduct ourselves, how we select and work with partners and how decisions are made throughout our organisation.
Moving freight responsibly means thinking beyond the shipment.
Logistics has an environmental impact. We recognise our responsibility to consider it.
Our approach is to make sensible operational decisions that can reduce unnecessary waste, avoid inefficient movements and make better use of transport capacity.
Combining suitable shipments can make better use of available transport capacity.
Considering practical routing options and avoiding unnecessary movements.
Looking for opportunities to reduce unnecessary materials and operational waste.
Responsibility isn't something you finish.
As Redcoat grows, we want our contribution to grow with it. That means continuing to look for practical ways to support people, communities and more responsible ways of working.
Moving goods. Moving forward together.
We are proud of the relationships Redcoat has built and the communities our services connect. Our responsibility is to make sure we continue building those relationships in the right way.