Airlines battle for a piece of Angola action

Leonard Neill A BATTLE of the airlines is looming on the SA Ð Angola route. As the region becomes increasingly attractive to South Africa's industrial sector, airfreight capacity is at a premium. Currently only two airlines, the Portuguese carrier TAAG and South African Airways, offer scheduled services between the two countries, each flying three times a week. But now others are eyeing the route. A stumbling block is the fact that only airlines registered in either country can fly direct business schedules on the route. But carriers are looking at ways of circumventing the problem to get their share of the burgeoning trade opportunities. One airline able to get directly involved is British Airways through its Comair connection. BA/Comair can fly its domestic and regional Boeing 737 aircraft on the Johannesburg-Luanda route, and has already announced its intention to start a service in October. The problem facing both Comair and SAA Cargo is the limited cargo capacity on the 737 aircraft, confining both carriers to smaller packages in the hold. TAAG flies a 747 combi aircraft on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which allows for around 50 tons of belly load in either direction. This space, however, is already at a premium. A spokesman for Kuehne & Nagel, the company holding the general sales rights to the airline out of Johannesburg, told Airfreight Express that mining equipment, machinery and auto spares and perishables were taking up all available space, and little opportunity existed for new clients. South African-based airlines licensed to fly the route could consider introducing larger aircraft, especially as travel agents report heavy demand for passenger services and few empty seats in either direction. SAA and BA are in a position to do this, the latter by registering larger aircraft under its Comair banner. But no plans have yet been unveiled. Namibian sources report heavy growth in road transport to their northerly neighbour now that hostilities in Angola have ceased, but this is not a viable proposition at present from South Africa where distances and poor road infrastructure are a problem. Freight charter operators have also been used to some extent, but these become viable only if there is the prospect of uplifting cargo either in Angola or surrounding regions for on-carriage. A freighter used to ferry goods to Luanda will, in most instances, return empty to South Africa, making the venture uneconomical. "It is a market that has huge potential, particularly in development and reconstruction projects," a forwarder told Airfreight Express. "Right now though, there are many pitfalls. Customs officials are awkward to deal with and the language barrier is a problem. There are also many other formalities to overcome, which is possibly why the airlines are hesitant. But so great is the demand for space that whoever makes the first move will be the winner in the long run."