Another direct African route ‘imminent’

There are some
major growth
prospects in the
airfreight sector in
Cape Town thanks to an
ongoing programme to
increase direct f lights to
the city.
According to Mike
Walwyn, chairman
of the Cape Town
Port Liaison Forum,
airfreight volumes in
and out of Cape Town
are picking up in light of
the increased number of
f lights already introduced,
while the commitment
by the Airports Company
South Africa (Acsa) to cut
all airport costs by 35% in
April this year is expected
to boost airfreight even
further.
“It will affect air cargo
moving in and out of Cape
Town as it will become
a very viable option for
exporters – especially if
the landside charges are
down,” he said.
According to Tim
Harris, CEO of Wesgro,
a total of 15 direct f lights
now connect Cape Town
with key markets such as
Istanbul, London, Paris,
Amsterdam, Frankfurt and
Singapore. Direct f lights
to African destinations
have also increased.
Harris said
another direct
African route
was imminent
with an
announcement
expected within
the next few
weeks. “The ongoing
goal of our air access
programme is to intensify
and broaden Cape Town’s
air access, improving the
Western Cape’s economic
competitiveness.”
According to Walwyn
there is a
definite
impression
that
airfreight
is picking
up in the
Western
Cape.
“Rates
are also
extremely
reasonable
in certain
areas,” he
said.
Airfreight
to Kenya out of Cape Town,
for example, has been
available for only 75 US
cents (R9.97) a kilogram.
This was because of the
need to position aircraft
into Nairobi for the major
movement of f lowers out of
the country to the UK.
“We will see continued
growth in the airfreight
sector as more new flights
and more cargo space
becomes
available,
allowing for
better rates
and better
negotiation,”
said Walwyn.
“There is no
doubt that
airfreight is
becoming more
viable – even
more so with
the ongoing
turmoil in the
ocean freight
environment.
We, in fact, expect to see
more of our stone fruit in
the country exported via
air in the future – as well
as pre-season grapes.”
INSERT
We expect to see
more of our stone
fruit exported via air
in the future ― as
well as pre-season
grapes.
– Mike Walwyn