Airlink creates wide network opportunity for Cape shippers

The Western Cape airfreight market is beginning to show signs of life, with Airlink Cargo finding growing support for its niche market offering in the region. “For us it’s a constant exercise in creating awareness of the many route options we can provide,” says Airlink Cargo MD Alwyn Rautenbach. “We operate between Cape Town and Upington, Kimberley, Nelspruit and George and that enables us to route Cape Town cargo via these destinations to Durban or Johannesburg,” says Rautenbach. “It also gives us the opportunity to reach regional destinations not served by other airlines like Bulawayo, Antananarivo, Ndola and Beira.” No additional fees are charged for routing via another airport and it’s still a same-day or overnight service. “With our pro-rate agreement with SAA, we would even route urgent cargo on SAA via Johannesburg.” And the service is seamless, says Rautenbach, with Airlink facilitating customs clearance for overborder cargo through agreements with freight forwarders. “Because we service all these little routes we have a very wide network, so if you need to send something urgently to Maseru in Swaziland, or from George to Ndola, for example, we have the network to make it happen.” While last year was, by all accounts, exceedingly grim, the market started picking up in November and December. “Things generally slow down in January, but we have seen the market picking up steam, and with the mining industry showing clear signs of life because of improved copper prices, our Zambia services are beginning to improve.” With the Airlink fleet now at full throttle, the year ahead is looking exceedingly positive, says Rautenbach. “Our fleet is now at full strength and Airlink has acquired four additional ERJ 135 aircraft. “This means that certain destinations previously served by J41s, which are very small aircraft, will now be serviced by Embraer jets, providing a little more cargo capacity.” February 14 marked another milestone for the airline with the launch by TTA Airlink of a new daily service on the Johannesburg-Maputo route. The airline is a joint venture between Mozambican carrier TTA Airline and Airlink, with onward connections from Maputo to Beira, Tete and Nampula on the planning boards.