Angolan air cargo expected to climb

Airfreight in Angola is expected to take off along with economic growth, according to the Boeing World Air Cargo Forecast (WACF) 2010-2011. “Between 2004 and 2009, the only country with doubledigit growth was the oil-based economy of Angola, with 14.9% annual GDP growth. “The effects of commodity pricing will continue to influence both exports and import growth throughout the continent’s oil-based economies,” it says. There could also be a boost from Angola’s revival of its agricultural output. “ Unlike crude oil and iron ore, agricultural products lend themselves to transport by air,” says the report. This would help balance airfreight volumes. According to the report, the majority of Angolan air cargo at present is inbound. “The unequal directionality of air cargo flow can complicate the ability of operators to develop profitable roundtrip Africa- Europe routings for freighters,” says the report. Angola is also listed among the countries with strong domestic air cargo demand, which is estimated at around 12.4% of the size of the African international air cargo market. Construction is under way on a new airport to serve Luanda. It will have a 6 200 sqm cargo terminal with a capacity of 35 000 tons a year. The airport is designed for 13 million passengers a year. Construction on the Chinesebuilt airport is reported to be stalled. It should have opened this year. In the meantime, the existing Luanda International Airport has been upgraded.