Intermodal option combines air, sea and road

Air freighting necessary inputs into Angola’s airport is only half the task of getting items from supplier to user. For Air France-KLM Cargo, meeting the needs of oil and gas industry customers has led the two airlines to provide a multidimensional solution – a logistics service that includes road or sea feeder “Besides our direct flights to Luanda – and on top of the cargo service originating from our global hub in Paris – the Air France-KLM Cargo division has developed special services designed for the oil and gas industry,” said Rutger-Jan Pegels, director oil & gas at the airline’s headquarters in Holland. A truck feeder service brings goods from company planes landing in Pointe-Noire, Congo to Cabinda, Angola, while a seafreight service originating from Pointe-Noire transports cargo to Luanda and Soyo directly into the offshore base. “We develop services for many industries,” said Pegels, while noting the air transport giant focuses on such market segments as aerospace, high-tech, automotive, pharmaceutical, fashion and the oil & gas industry. “Each segment has its own dynamics and logistics challenges. That is why we have developed industry-specific approaches to meet the typical logistical characteristics of the industry, and address special needs and priorities,” he said. For Angola’s oil and gas industry, that means crafting logistics solutions that begin with airfreight but may conclude with a sea or land delivery. “And the reverse for the returns,” he told FTW.