Atlanta streamlines transhipment facility

THE RECENT acquisition by Delta Airlines of its rival Northwest creates a US airline with global presence, able to compete effectively in most markets. That’s the view of Anne Sanders, MD of GSAfrica, which has handled Delta since its launch in South Africa. The airline’s reach in North and South America is extensive, says Sanders, covering Bogota, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Lima, Quito, Guayaquil, Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Santiago. Mexico and the Caribbean are also served via Atlanta to Antigua, Barbados, Belize City (BZ), San Jose, San Salvador, Guatemala City, Panama City, Port of Spain and Tobago. “Several new destinations in Canada – like Saskatoon and Winnipeg – will shortly join the schedule, while Delta is planning to add a number of new destinations in Asia to its network. And for SA shippers, the Atlanta hub will continue to provide significant benefits, says Sanders. “Delta Cargo has invested substantially in the redesigning of the Atlanta facility which will improve efficiency, reduce handling and take greater advantage of automated handling systems.” It’s the only American carrier that operates between the USA and Africa, deploying a B767 400 ER aircraft from JFK to Accra, Dakar, Lagos and Cairo. Cape Town is a recent addition to its African network with Nairobi on the cards for a December start-up. GSAfrica Airline Services represents Delta in Senegal and South Africa. Senegal (Dakar) offers two flights a day DKR – ATL and DKR – JFK in addition to DKR – JNB and DKR – CPT. Both the JNB and CPT flights have an hour stop-over in DKR with traffic rights from South Africa to Senegal and from Senegal to the USA. Delta/GSAfrica now offers daily flights out of Johannesburg and four times a week out of Cape Town, flying 22 times a week out of Dakar. “With this growth GSAfrica has opened shop in Cape Town with Bronwyn Cunningham running the branch and Patrizio Romano heading up operations. “Both have extensive airline experience so there are great expectations for the Cape Town office,” said Sanders.