Capacity grows on Jo'burg Ð George route

Freighter service planned to Europe, US AIR FREIGHT Brokers (AFB) has taken over the operation of the weekday parcel service between Johannesburg and George with a mid-journey stop in Bloemfontein. A Dornier aircraft with a two-ton cargo capacity initiated the service on June 7. Airfreight capacity increased this week (June 24) when a larger freighter-type aircraft was brought into service, providing more than six ton capacity. The flights leave Johannesburg Monday to Friday. "It's aimed mainly at the courier market, but we are taking larger packages when these are booked," says general manager Gerrie le Roux, an experienced courier operator who joined AFB recently to fill the new role created when the company started chartering its own-aircraft. "As a major consolidator in the domestic market and with the support of a large portion of the courier market, AFB offers market-related rates, which, when the market has sorted out the present confusion, will be common rated," says operations director Andre Langedyk. "AFB caters for the requirements of the smaller courier companies enabling them to level the playing fields." "Hopefully the question of who flies where, who trucks where and who has facilities and the infrastructure to meet the needs of the courier industry will be answered soon," says Le Roux. AFB is the domestic leg of a group jointly owned by two shareholders, R.Cummins and PJG Roos, with Transit Trade International handling global cargo requirements. "We have concluded an agreement with a major international freighter company to act as its GSA in South Africa," says Langedyk. "Full details of this new venture, which will introduce a regular freighter service from Johannesburg into Europe and the United States on a weekly basis, will be announced shortly."