Overcapacity is a major issue faced globally in the airfreight market but African carriers in particular struggle because the nature of products exported out of the continent is very different from the products imported from around the globe
“For example, Delta Cargo flies a lot of car parts into Africa, and in turn flies agriculture produce out. The cargo densities are completely different,” said Gareth Joyce, president of Delta Cargo, during a panel discussion at the Air Cargo 2017 conference held in Johannesburg yesterday (Wednesday)
He said it was therefore very difficult to obtain proper yield alignment on outgoing and incoming cargo. But, according to Joyce, a better balance could be struck through the opening of new markets. “China is, for example, opening up as a major market for flowers,” he said.
Slavey Djahov, regional head of airfreight for the Middle East and Africa region at Panalpina World Transport, agreed, stating however that the imbalances had been a factor for over 30 years. “The slow movement in addressing airfreight infrastructure in Africa is also a factor,” he said.
He added that the growing global demand for perishables out of Africa could address the imbalances to an extent. “But the airports need to come to the party to provide the right infrastructure,” Djahov commented.
