Dearth of direct flights stunts growth of Walvis Bay airfreight market

Special projects will up air cargo volumes in Namibia and regionally this year, a key local air freight forwarder believes. “Overall, airfreight volumes have decreased slightly. Road transport on the other hand has increased marginally. This trend fluctuates depending on industry needs. If a largescale telecommunications project is undertaken by the industry, airfreight volumes of equipment and other cargo increase dramatically. It really depends on industry and business needs. If international flights are increased and more routes adopted, airfreight will play a major role in supply chains and transit cargo via Namibia to other SADC landlocked countries,” said Nolito Marques, communications coordinator of Manica group Namibia, the holding company of the freight logistics management company, Woker Freight Services (WFS). The company provides in-transit clearances to Zambia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe and the DRC. WFS airfreights such imports as telecommunications, mining equipment, food and vehicles, and its role in bringing in ships’ spares is critical to Walvis Bay’s vessel repair industry. Namibia’s important fishing industry would be better served by expanded air routes to its customers. “Some fishing companies use air freight to export fish to Europe. However, the lack of more direct flights to export destinations such as Spain has created a dependency on sea freight,” said Marques. The firm is headquartered at Namibia’s main port, Walvis Bay, and has offices in Windhoek, Luderitz and Oshikango. “Airfreight volumes through Windhoek are relatively low due to the fact that there are only two airlines that offer international flights (both from Germany),” Marques said. Cargo destined for other continents must be routed via Johannesburg, which in practice means cargo is trucked to Johannesburg and then flown out to its destination. In addition to breakbulk and bulk shipments, Woker handles up to 800 containers a month. “Air Namibia through its agency network offers services to other countries like Angola, Botswana and South Africa, but cargo from Italy, for instance, is booked via Frankfurt to Johannesburg and then on to those SADC countries,” the freight forwarder reported. Local shippers are for the time being big users of road freight, with the air option yet to be explored by many. “There has been a tendency by local companies to order their products via South African companies. Such imports are often imported via road freight,” said Marques. Walvis Bay is currently upgrading its runway, airport facilities and landing equipment to accommodate the A380 airbus. It is hoped that the expansion to allow for the largest plane in the world, will generate more air cargo traffic with direct flights for Walvis Bay to Europe, Americas and Far East.