BA express tonnage grows by 73%

Removal of weight restriction brings big benefits JOY ORLEK BRITISH AIRWAYS World Cargo’s recently launched Prioritise express product has clearly hit the mark for South African shippers. Tonnages grew by 73% in the 2006 financial year which ended in March compared to the previous year, a figure that far outstripped expectation, area commercial manager for Southern Africa, Cayley Wallis, told FTW last week. Prioritise was clearly the star performer for BAWC, says Wallis, who believes the removal of the 32 kilogram weight restriction is one of the important benefits. Launched in September last year, Prioritise provides a single cut-off time of 90 minutes for small and large freight, offering priority access to available capacity at every stage of the journey. A 50% refund applies if cargo does not fly as booked. The growth in product uptake is a combination of new business and existing clients switching to the Prioritise product, says Wallis. Among the timesensitive products that have latched onto its benefits is automotive business out of South Africa, including catalytic converters. “These are moving into the UK and other European destinations as well as other stations in Canada and the Americas. “Year on year we have seen substantial growth in transhipment cargo,” says Wallis, driven largely by the airline’s comprehensive route network. “We offer two flights a day out of Johannesburg and one a day out of Cape Town, with a range of onward connections that make transit times highly competitive. “Add to that the new Premia facility at London Heathrow, which is specifically designed to handle time-sensitive cargo, and we believe we have a winning recipe.”