Cargo will benefit from more capacity and more routes in Star Alliance

JOY ORLEK AS SOUTH African Airways prepares the ground for its admission to the 15-member Star Alliance, vice president of SAA Cargo, Patrick Dlamini, believes that freight will be a major beneficiary of the agreement. “Although the alliance is geared more for passengers, cargo will gain extra capacity and greater access to routes,” he told FTW. “It will also improve service by providing worldwide comparative rates to clients and facilitate easier working relationships with partners worldwide.” The Star Alliance is the biggest of the global airline groupings by market share, distance flown and number of passengers, with a modern combined fleet of over 2 400 aircraft, offering 14 000 flights daily to 755 airports in 132 countries. Within a year SAA expects to have met the alliance’s 54 requirements, following which it will gain full membership, Dlamini said.