Telecoms and textiles keep charters busy

AIRFREIGHT CHARTER operators in South Africa are growing at a steady pace, but many of them ‘end up with burnt fingers’ through irregular practices or misjudging the international rates of exchange, says Fast International’s managing director Gary Murphy. “I’m certainly not against any newcomer moving into the field,” he says. “I know there are rumblings about fly-by-nights, but good luck to any enterprising would-be operator who wants to enter the charter business. My single warning, however, is that he must know what he is doing. “The quickest way to earn a bad reputation and to lose a customer is to do it all wrong, and that is so easy in the complex market we serve.” One of the most successful charter operators in South Africa, Murphy’s Fast International handles regular fully-booked freighters to various parts of the world. Communications materials have been flying from Johannesburg International Airport into many African countries. Cell phones and computers are in heavy demand in various parts of sub-Saharan Africa. “We’ve had an enormous amount of clothing charters in the past year or so, with goods travelling to the United States under the Agoa agreement. And there have been inbound clothing charters from Madagascar as well,” he says. “Chemicals to Europe and livestock consignments into Africa have become a regular feature of our daily work. What should be remembered is that there are not many reliable operators, perhaps four or five at best. Here I refer mainly to the larger aircraft available, the DC8 and 10 range, Boeing 707s and the Russian fleet. “You need to work out the different types of aircraft needed for every consignment. Decisions are always subject to capacity available. What we do is synchronise load plans, link these to dimensions and destinations, and then work out the routings before settling on the type of aircraft needed. “An order can be processed in a few minutes or it can take up to three days before we are assured of the correct aircraft to meet our needs. “Cost cutting is something best avoided. Sometimes we have to pay a little more than expected, but that is necessary to fulfil our obligations to a client who wants to be assured his goods will reach their destination intact.”