Additional freighter frequencies under consideration

SAA Cargo is considering additional freighter frequencies on the Lusaka route, executive manager: marketing and sales, Dixon Nkomo, told FTW. The airline operates both line flights and a B 737F on the route with multiple frequencies to Johannesburg. “Zambia will always be one of our strategic routes within Africa and will be part of our Africa Strategies for years to come. It has always shown potential and we will continue to support this route from a cargo perspective,” he says. “Over the past few years, the perishable market in Zambia has been in full bloom. From an export view out of Zambia, we have been fortunate enough to carry full loads year round, with the mix switching to veggies currently in winter. “SAAC then connects those via its passenger flights from Johannesburg into Europe,” he says. Airfreight exports from South Africa are mostly for the mining industry, “but our main supporting market on the route is our Asia station, feeding cargo into Lusaka via Johannesburg. “We currently carry a fair amount of textiles into Lusaka, and we certainly can see the China route into Lusaka growing for some time,” he added. “Lusaka has the potential, as it can handle the cargo mix be it air or road.” Particularly for perishables, after the economic downturn in Zimbabwe, most farmers have been using Lusaka rather than the Harare hub, says Nkomo. “And one must remember that 25% of flower exports to Holland were carried through Zimbabwe. Flowers make up a fair percentage of the exports by air.” The country is also connected to the rest of the world. “We believe that we have the network to feed all types of cargo to and from Zambia to all over the world. We can fly something from Lusaka to Brazil, or Taiwan, or vice versa,” he says. But Zambia faces competition as a hub. “While the markets have moved to Lusaka from Zimbabwe, at the same time the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi Kenya has become a very important hub. “Eyes are also on Addis Abba, as Ethiopia seems to be producing a fair amount of high quality flowers,” he says. In April, the Ethiopian ministry of trade and industry said exports of mainly agricultural products had risen to US$1.8-billion in the eight months to April – a US$200-million increase from the same period in 2009. Zega is SAA Cargo’s general sales and ground handling agent in Lusaka.