New freight airline takes to the air

Start-up airline Khuphuka Kings Airways is set to launch weekly flights into the Democratic Republic of Congo. Based in the Dube Trade Port in Durban, the company is also planning to open routes to Zambia, Nigeria and Swaziland. The service will do ad hoc flights to Ndola Zambia if and when the demand arises, according to the airline’s marketing director Sihle Bam. Initially it will operate two ILyushin 76 planes, which have a carrying capacity of 46 tons each. The ILyushin 76 aircraft have the range to fly anywhere in the world from Durban, which means that shippers can use the Dube Trade Port as a hub for freight into Africa, says Bam. Responding to news of the launch of the company in February 2014, Dube Trade Port Corporation’s chairperson Bridgette Gasa, said the new airline would facilitate trade between South Africa and the rest of the continent. “On the back of poor road and rail networks linking major African cities, air transport is essential for intra-African business. “Driving this integration among African countries will continue to be critical in terms of creating an open environment for business, an environment which allows goods and people to transcend borders more freely,” she said. According to Bam, the airline plans to start operating from August 2014. Services will include cargo flights to and from the new King Mswati 3 Airport (KM3) in Swaziland. CAPTION The aircraft to be flown by Khuphuka Kings Airways.