BRITISH AIRWAYS World Cargo scored a global first last week with the official opening at Johannesburg International Airport of a licensed franchise cargo handling operation.
The agreement is with suppliers, Cargo Service Centre (a subsidiary of Dutch carrier KLM), operating a R7-m cargo facility.
This is the first time in our 65-year history in SA that we have had our own dedicated facility, said Richard Poulton, service delivery manager (Africa).
CSC has made a considerable investment of its own in the facility in the form of movable and fixed equipment and staff.
SA is the test-run of this franchise concept, according to Kevin Hatton, London-based m.d. of World Cargo. Speaking exclusively to FTW Hatton indicated that if it succeeds, it will be the model for a global network of these joint-ventures. The starting point is Africa with all World Cargo's handling agreements throughout the continent to be replaced with the new arrangement.
The beauty of the idea is that it is a risk-sharing procedure with the local expertise of the franchise-holder offering us that distinct benefit, he told FTW.
