January 20 will see the
launch by Airlink Cargo of a
double daily service between
Johannesburg and Gaborone.
Operating either an RJ
85 with 1.5-ton capacity
and occasionally an ERJ135
aircraft with 500-600kg
capacity, the service has
already attracted strong
interest, according to Airlink
Cargo executive manager
Alwyn Rautenbach.
“The first flight leaves
Johannesburg at 7:20 and
the second at 17:30 and we
believe it will be particularly
valuable for transhipment
cargo to and from
international destinations
and Gaborone.”
The airline already
flies to Maun
and Kasane.
The
Gaborone
service is the
next in a
raft of new
services
launched
by
Airlink
in
recent
months,
with Richards Bay,
Bloemfontein and Kimberley
coming on stream in mid-
November this year.
“We are the second flight out
of Johannesburg to Kimberley
and Bloemfontein, but the
last flight out of the two cities
which provides overnight
transhipment opportunities
in Johannesburg for onward
connections.
“These services add some
very valuable destinations to
our network.”
And against a
background of
fairly static air
cargo volumes,
Airlink has
bucked the
trend
recording average growth of
30% this year.
“We’ve had a fantastic year,”
said Rautenbach. “It’s all
about providing a good service
and marketing it well. A lot
of shippers are not aware of
the airfreight opportunities
we offer to these smaller
destinations.”
According to Rautenbach
Airlink is gaining some market
share from road freight,
particularly for time-sensitive
cargo like automotive and
machinery parts.
“It’s a question of weighing
up the cost against convenience
of a same-day service.”
INSERT & CAPTION
We believe will be
particularly valuable
for transhipment
cargo to and from
international
destinations and
Gaborone.
– Alwyn Rautenbach
