Freighter makes history at King Shaka

While the first freighter aircraft to use the new King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) and the Dube TradePort (DTP) cargo terminal in KwaZulu Natal landed on Sunday, June 20, this was not the start of a regular freighter service, according to Kum Naicker, national cargo manager for the aircraft’s operator, Emirates SkyCargo. It was on a once-off trip from its hub airport at Dubai to Johannesburg, then on to Durban with incoming cargo – and then returning to the Dubai home-base carrying a consignment of outsized cargo. And the 117-tonnecapacity Boeing 747-400F which flew the trip was ideal for that purpose, said Ricky Isaac, Emirates’ cargo manager in Durban. He told FTW that it is fitted with an oversized side door, nose door and spacious cargohold for the carriage of such large shipments. “The increased capacity of the new airport and cargo terminal bodes well for the future expansion of the airfreight industry in KwaZulu-Natal,” he added. “The trading facilities are designed to recapture international freight previously re-routed through OR Tambo International Airport and to actively generate new investment in future airfreight-related commerce. “Emirates SkyCargo looks forward to playing an integral part of this growth.” Naicker stressed that freighter flights would not be a continuing service for Emirates, currently the only scheduled long-haul airline calling at KSIA. But, he added, there will be a good supply of bellyhold cargo for the daily passenger flights – and a lot of that originating from China. “China is our biggest source for SA-bound cargo,” said Naicker, “and Dubai is proving to be a good transhipment point. That’s because the direct SA-China flights are over water, so there are certain cargo volume limitations which we don’t face.”