Roadfreight proves effective for charter transhipments

Kevin Mayhew ROAD TRANSIT has continued to present a major challenge to air charters for trips to South Africa’s neighbouring countries – particularly as a shortage of charter aircraft and the price of aviation fuel drives up the costs of air movement. General manager of ICG Cargo at Johannesburg International Airport, Florence Ross, says much of the company's customs and clearing activity is now for road. In many cases, this is for charters into Johannesburg airport and then transit from there by land to neighbouring countries. “The costs, together with the limitations of having to fly to central points in southern African countries before resorting to road transport to reach sub-Saharan destinations, make it worthwhile to merely send consignments by road and absorb a few days’ delay in many cases. “Where overseas charters come to the region, they will merely offload in South Africa and then send the products or machinery on by road as far north as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or Tanzania,” she said. Popular destinations for this option are Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho and the DRC. ICG Cargo has full bonded facilities to handle such consignments. She said there was some charter movement of animals but – despite the resounding success of South Africa’s horses in Dubai and Mauritian horseracing - there was less of a call for transportation of racing stock. Breeders and trainers have tended to move their operations to other centres because of South Africa’s unfavourable quarantine status.