Airlink considers all-cargo option

A shift this year to a moreexpensive- to-maintain all-jet fleet has cut into profits for Swaziland Airlink, but has meant more cargo hold capacity for airfreight shippers. “The customers demanded the fleet upgrade. We have five rotations a day on the Matsapha to Johannesburg route, and three were handled by prop planes. These were the less travelled rotations. But flyers wanted the speed and comfort of the jets all the time,” said Teddy Mavuso, CEO of the only airline to serve the landlocked country. ERJ aircraft replaced the remaining Gulfstream prop aircraft on June 1 for flights that take on average 45 minutes. “Jets are very expensive, and this is quite pronounced on our bottom line. But we had to do it because of public insistence for comfort and safety, because the jet is perceived as safer,” Mavuso said. An unexpected benefit has been greater air cargo movement for routes whose utilisation by airfreight shippers diminished when the global recession hit. “In terms of cargo we had very good growth in 2009. It’s mainly clothing, spare parts and small electronics like cell phones. But volumes stagnated at the end of 2009 and the start of 2010. It also dropped after the World Cup. Since the all-jet fleet was introduced I would say our volumes have returned to a reasonable level,” he said. In fact, volume numbers have remained so satisfactory that the airline is considering putting into service Swaziland’s first air cargo plane. “We are exploring a dedicated airfreight service. One of our aircraft will be converted into a freighter. This is still on the drawing board but we think the volumes will be there if we offer the service,” Mavuso said.