Emirates spells out Africa expansion plans

Emirates SkyCargo has named OR Tambo International Airport as the launch pad from which it will introduce its new links into southern Africa this year. “We have identified three or four new points in the southern African region that we want to link into this year and we see South Africa as the airfreight gateway into the region,” said Pradeep Kumar, Emirates senior vice president: cargo revenue optimisation and systems. He told FTW that he could not disclose the links for now as negotiations were at a “delicate stage” but he did reveal that the airline was working to establish the regional links in conjunction with a South African-based partner and that the initial links would be to nearby destinations. “What we can say is that we believe in the continued growth of the southern African market," said Kum Naicker, Emirates cargo manager: southern Africa. “South Africa has a strong industrialisation policy in place at the moment and while about 60% of cargo out of the country is still perishables, we have noticed a shift in the type of commodities that are being exported via air,” he commented. These include precious metals, automotive parts and increasingly more pharmaceutical products. “The South African government is also providing adequate support in growing trade to Africa as well as to global markets, creating additional demand for the commodities,” Kumar added. “For example, Russia has suddenly become a much stronger trading partner and has increased its demand for fresh produce and flowers.” Kumar admitted that infrastructure deficits in Africa could hamper airfreight growth on the continent but added that the relevant governments were beginning to recognise the strategic importance of developments to grow trade. “As a result, infrastructure in Africa is improving,” he said, pointing out that Emirates had done its homework by ensuring that all the routes it flew had the necessary cargo and handling facilities to accommodate the airline’s wide-body aircraft. INSERT & CAPTION We have identified three or four new points in the southern African region that we want to link into this year. – Pradeep Kumar CAPTION Cargo being offloaded from Emirates' Boeing 777F at Ouagadougou Airport in Burkina Faso, the 27th African destination to join the network.