As global manufacturing output increases and with the retail peak season set to come early this year, the ongoing airfreight capacity crunch will prompt even more investment in new fleets and additional services by e-commerce platforms and express air services.
But will Africa be part of this trend? If global media sources, such as Bloomberg News, are to be believed then Ethiopian Airlines is set to become the first African airline to set up an alliance with express parcels and logistics giant, DHL.
While the Ethiopian Airline story remains officially unconfirmed, industry insiders told FTW that joint ventures such as these would be a “strong possibility” as population growth, urbanisation and the rising demand for the transport of goods would continue to drive demand for air transport to, from and within Africa.
“Consolidation among operators and service providers makes sense as it is often beyond the ability of a single small player to achieve the economies of scale that are required to serve the expanding market,” said Linden Birns, MD of Plane Talking.
He told FTW that e-commerce platforms had made it easier and more accessible for more African producers and manufacturers to participate in the global economy and access global markets.
