A CARGO hub in SA is part of UK-based Das Air's new development programme for its African network and complements the airline's existing hubs in Entebbe and Lagos, according to Max Mariotti, m.d. of the SA cargo representatives, Aviation GSA. "They have been the leading cargo carrier in developing efficient feeder services in Africa," he told FTW, "a concept that is marketed worldwide but underdeveloped in Africa, due to a negative market perception of the services available." And this mistaken perception, he added, stemmed from the push by certain carriers to market Nairobi as the East Africa hub but "without the necessary facilities in place to ensure secure and efficient transhipments". However, the new Das Air service has full system input from each of the airline's stations, and this global network tracking is co-ordinated at the London central database. "This information is automatically e-mailed to us in Johannesburg," he said, "allowing us to confirm the delivery details in writing to our clients." This, Mariotti added, has been instrumental in Aviation GSA increasing its transhipment business to over 45% of its total cargo uplift. "It has also ensured that we obtain maximum loads on all flights," he said. Strengthening the service has been Aviation GSA's operational policy to load transhipment cargo on destination pallets. "Consequently," Mariotti said, "no further handling is required at the transit point. "Apart from reducing the duplication of handling, this also combats pilferage and damage." Also, a perishable facility - with a 40-pallet capacity - has just been completed at Entebbe in Uganda. "This," Mariotti told FTW, "was the only restriction in our transhipment service. But we can now offer perishable transport beyond Entebbe into our African network." The new services increase the northbound capacity to 130-tons a week to Uganda and the other destinations in the Das Air African network, and into Europe. The airline's northbound run into Europe is a result of increasing demand as well as the development of the Johannesburg feeder hub for perishable exporters in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique, he said.
