Freight industry adds momentum to airfreight connectivity strategy

Moving more
airfreight
directly from
Cape Town
to the rest of the world is a
key objective of the newly
launched Wesgro strategy
to improve the city’s air
connectivity.
Speaking at the official
launch of Cape Town Air
Access, a programme aimed
at developing international
air routes in the Western
Cape, Wesgro CEO Tim
Harris said in the past
six months significant
gains had been made with
three airlines announcing
expansion of their existing
flight schedules and the
introduction of at least two
new routes. Not only would
this improve the access of
people to and from Cape
Town, he said, but it would
also benefit cargo.
“The primary mandate
of the air access team is
to promote, develop and
maintain air routes in
and out of Cape Town
International Airport,” said
Harris during the signing
of the Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU)
between the various public
stakeholders, Wesgro and
the provincial department of
economic opportunities.
He said Ethiopian Airlines
had started a six-times-aweek
direct return flight
from Addis Ababa, Turkish
Airlines had been connecting
Cape Town to Istanbul on a
non-stop daily connection
since the end of October,
and KLM had announced
an increase in its frequencies
to a year-round daily flight
from Amsterdam.
“Confirmed for 2016 are
two additional direct flights
by Ethiopian Airlines on
a 787-8 from February 1;
the new SA Airlink flight
to Maun Botswana – five
flights a week – which starts
on March 11; and additional
capacity on the London
connection as Thomas Cook
will operate three direct
flights from Gatwick to Cape
Town with an Airbus 330
in the next summer season,”
he said.
Lance Greyling from the
city’s department of trade
investment told FTW that
from a trade perspective the
increased f lights and the move to
attract more direct f lights would
have a significant impact on
shippers.
“Filling the belly of the plane
is just as important as filling the
seats. We are calling on industry
to engage with us to make sure
we have a clear understanding of
what direct f lights are most needed
and also to indicate what types of
commodities and goods they want
to f ly directly out of Cape Town.
This information will be integral as
we engage with airlines and cities
across the world to establish more
direct routes.”
Cape Town mayor Patricia de
Lille said the creation and increase
in frequency of direct f lights was a
key driver of economic development
and would have an impact across all
sectors.
Direct f lights that are currently
being negotiated and actively
sought out, said Harris, included
destinations in the US, China and
Africa.
“These are key markets for
the province and being able to
move goods via air directly to
the US or Asia is imperative for
our exporters,” said Harris. “US
investment into the Western Cape
continues to increase and it’s just a
miracle really if one considers how
difficult it is for people or goods to
get here from America.”
He said with more direct air
routes, accessing markets would
be easier, making business more
competitive and efficient globally.
CAPTION
Deon Cloete, general manager of Cape Town International Airport; Alan Winde, Western Cape minister of
economic opportunities; Cape Town mayor, Patricia de Lille; and Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, at the signing of a
memorandum of understanding to work together and develop more direct air routes for the Western Cape.