Booming airfreight demand gathers momentum

Gary Murphy . . . Airlines opening up new routes. BE PREPARED. Once there is stability on the African continent, the business opportunities that will emerge will become mind-boggling. That is the message from Gary Murphy, managing director of Fast International, one of the leaders in airfreight charter between South Africa and the continent. “The growth we have experienced, starting with South Africa’s re-entry into the global market nine years, ago is now gaining momentum,” he says. “Deliveries across land routes in Africa are, in many instances, satisfactory but they take time. That is why airfreight into the continent has boomed, and it is gaining in pace by the day. “There are hiccups at unexpected times. That is the story of Africa in the modern world. But we have been able to counter these successfully. Remember, we lived through the apartheid years and sanctions, and we learnt the hard way how to get around them. That knowledge and experience has become very useful in today’s business dealings.” Nigeria has been a very successful destination, he says, with loads of communication material, requirements for the oil companies and general cargo, moving on the route. “But the recent explosions at Lagos airport brought their share of problems. It’s the type of handicap we are constantly faced with across Africa. “Nevertheless the West Africa coast has become a rapidly growing market for us. The east coast sector presents a similar picture, with heavy shipments going to places like Tanzania to meet their growth and development. ‘Along with all of these developments airlines have created more and more routes into parts of Africa that were seldom thought about in years gone by. Here at home customs have geared themselves competently towards the export drive and that is helping a great deal in getting the loads moving as rapidly as possible.”