Second perishables facility earmarked for Lusaka Airport

Plans are well in progress for a second perishables handling facility at Lusaka International Airport. “There is growth in demand for handling facilities for export quality agricultural products such as fresh flowers and vegetables, as well as imports of pharmaceuticals such as vaccines, and I believe that there is also a huge potential for meat exports from Zambia,” says Jonathan Lewis, managing director of NAC2000. NAC2000 Corporation is well positioned to offer airfreight services to neighbouring countries and beyond, says Lewis. “Zambia’s ideal geographical location makes it a natural air cargo hub, and there is huge potential to access the market potential within the region,” he says. It is estimated that there are over 200 million people in the Comesa/ SADC region. The company plans to add the new perishables terminal to its aircraft ground handling, clearing and forwarding and warehousing services. “We have been allocated a prime site at Lusaka International Airport and preparations for construction of the facility are at an advanced stage,” he told FTW. The new facility will be adjacent to the company’s head office at the Lusaka airport Freight Village, where it already has over 1 200m2 of secure warehousing. NAC2000 also has offices at Ndola, Livingstone, Chirundu and Nakonde, some of which have access to warehouses. The new perishables terminal will complement plans to upgrade the main international airports in Zambia by the parastatal airports authority National Airports Corporation. Lewis believes the increase in economic activity indicates that the Zambian economy is starting to recover. “We have noticed a growing demand for the services of NAC2000 and we are also seeing more mining equipment coming into the country.” The company’s specialised equipment includes high loaders capable of handling up to 20 tons of air cargo in one lift. The company has also noted growing volumes of passengers and freight on Kenya Airways scheduled flights, for which it is the local agent. “Zambezi Airlines is also expanding. The more activity, the better, as it increases the available freight capacity,” he says.