Durban's air cargo business has recovered by around 55% due to the return of both international and domestic airlines to the region, which led to a 67% rebound in network traffic at King Shaka International Airport over the past 12 months.
Dube TradePort Cargo Terminal processed 10 997 tonnes of cargo between April 2022 and February 28, 2023, up 31% compared with the same period in 2021/2022.
Dube TradePort Cargo Terminal Senior Manager: Cargo Development and Operations, Ricardo Isaac, said the latest rebound highlighted the importance of the region’s cargo market.
"We have always maintained that once we have the airfreight capacity, freight forwarders and shippers will choose to fly cargo directly into Durban. This positive movement reaffirms our understanding of the KZN air cargo market,” said Isaac.
“If you look at the historical trends, between 2015 and 2020, Dube TradePort Cargo Terminal managed to capture over 60% share of the KwaZulu Natal air cargo market, effectively doubling cargo volumes being processed through Durban, which was a direct result of increasing airfreight capacity with the introduction of new passenger services.”
Isaac added that the re-establishment of Durban's domestic and regional air services remained a priority to grow both cargo and passenger volumes to the province.
"When Comair exited the market, it left a capacity gap of around 38% for King Shaka International Airport. Fortunately, operators like, FlySafair, Airlink, CemAir and Lift have come in to fill the void on the domestic routes, adding much-needed capacity,” Isaac said.
“The resumption of SAA on the route also contributed to available capacity. While on the regional front Airlink successfully relaunched the Durban-Harare route last year, as we go into the second quarter of 2023 we are working with ProFlight Zambia to re-establish the Durban-Lusaka route,” he said.
