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.