Airfreight volume through OR Tambo International Airport showed significant growth for the week ending March 15, Business Unity SA (Busa) and the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) have found.
The latest ‘Cargo Movement Update’ conducted by Busa and Saaff shows that “the daily average volume of air cargo handled at OR Tambo the previous week is up by a record 35%”.
Outbound cargo figures, usually not as strong as import volumes, were up 35%, while inbound increased by 33%.
For Gauteng’s airfreight it represents an 11% rebound on depressed figures from the previous week.
The domestic average for cargo handled was 53,637 kilograms, a week-on-week improvement of 2%.
Cape Town International Airport also reported a weekly increase in airfreight throughput, up 8% on year-on-year (y-o-y) averages, while data out of Durban showed a 2% decrease in volumes handled.
As for the international picture, “air cargo tonnages from Dubai to Europe are continuing to boom”, the Update says.
Several sources from abroad have reported that “in week 10 of 2024, air cargo tonnages from Dubai to Europe continued to increase substantially”.
“Average rates were reported at $2.32/kg, showing a 14% decrease y-o-y but remaining 29% higher than pre-Covid levels.
“This surge in tonnages reflects a trend of booming air cargo traffic between Dubai and Europe, highlighting the robust demand and stability in the global air freight market.
“The data from WorldACD's weekly reports underscores the ongoing growth and recovery in the air cargo sector, with notable increases in traffic volumes between these key regions.”
