New freighter service adds Nairobi hub

While some may question
the timing of the launch by
British Airways World Cargo
of a dedicated freighter on the
SA route from November 1,
regional commercial manager
for Africa, Mark Stubbings, is
upbeat about prospects for the
new service.
In fact, based on industry
reaction to the additional
capacity, he hasn’t ruled out the
possibility of a second freighter
in the near future.
His optimism is based on
the routing – with the freighter
serving both South and East
Africa – and the flexibility in
terms of the type and size of
cargo that the airline can
now carry.
“The idea is to put cargo
on the freighter that doesn’t
move on our line flights,” said
Stubbings, “and that includes
outsize cargo – predominantly
automotive – special vehicles,
train chassis and the like.”
Some 60% of capacity is
likely to be taken up by the
perishable market – and that’s
where the routing plays a role.
The Johannesburg freighter
service will operate via Nairobi
to Zaragoza, Frankfurt and
Stansted before flying to
Atlanta and Chicago.
“The freighter strategy for
the joint BA/Iberia service
was to have a mixed hub and
we wanted two touch points
in Africa – Johannesburg and
Nairobi – where the Kenyan
perishable market is
year-round.
Currently there’s a 50/50
capacity share between South
and East Africa, but this could
change depending on market
demand.
“We’ve been in the South
and East African markets for
some time and believe we can
make a go of it because of the
opportunities,” said Stubbings.
“Kenya has peaks and
troughs but it’s still a major
export market and Spain
imports a huge volume
of perishables from
southern Africa.”
The freighter service is a
benefit of BA’s merger earlier
this year with Iberia which
resulted in the formation of
the International Airlines’
Group (IAG), giving South
African exporters wider
access to European and South
American markets.