A whole new airfreight network has just been opened up for cargo general sales agent GSAfrica, according to executive director Anne Sanders. This, she told FTW, is a result of a contract being signed with the LAN Cargo section of Chilean flag carrier, LAN Airlines. “We have been appointed as the cargo agent for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands (IOI),” she said. In its first major connection with Africa, LAN has booked 15 charter flights into SA during the World Cup, carrying passenger loads from Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina. “Each of these aircraft will also be offering cargo space,” Sanders added, “and we have been asked to fill it.” Before and after the World Cup, GSAfrica has contracted to book cargo to and from Sao Paulo in Argentina and Buenos Aires in Brazil, in an interline agreement with SAA. “Through these two hubs,” said Sanders, “we connect with LAN Cargo’s international network serving South and North America, Europe and Asia.” Although this is LAN’s first venture into the African continent, “I’d say they are here to stay”, Sanders added. “We already have a lot of trade, especially in mining equipment, with Chile and the rest of South America, and with LAN Cargo, we will now also be able to offer an extensive network in the US.”
