Earning a sizeable share of overnight express market

OVERALL AIRFREIGHT business is performing well in 2008, despite escalating interest rates and fuel prices, a key air cargo company reports. “With the high fuel prices, which everyone is experiencing, you can see a slight decrease in volume, but overall business is doing well, said Muriel Sahd, chief operating officer of Imperial Air Cargo. Imperial Air Cargo’s planes average 85% load factors delivering cargo along the Johannesburg to Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, East London routes. “Those are the main domestic airfreight traffic destinations, and by servicing them we have earned a 45% share of overnight express delivery service in South Africa, said Sahd. “Our focus is on overnight express courier service. That is our core business, and we take in other cargo when space permits,” she said. Documents are the mainstay of courier shipments, with computers and clothing moved frequently. As for chartered service, this is a rare but not impossible request. “When a customer has a large load that we do not normally handle we can make arrangements to accommodate the shipment,” said Sahd. Imperial maintains a fleet of three 727-200 air freighters, each with a cargo capacity of around 22 tonnes. For the Durban route, an AN-32 aircraft with seven tonne capacity plies the route.