Transit opens Richards Bay office

Security focus sees implementation of fingerprint ID ALAN PEAT AS PART of its on-going expansion programme, the Transit Group has just opened in Richards Bay, according to managing member Tim Snell. “This port city is a growing market,” he told FTW, “with more and more demand for express cargo services.” Because the company feels that the express market linking South Africa’s smaller centres is set for major growth, it also has its eye on further development into the under-serviced outlying areas of the country like Nelspruit in Mpumulanga and the Northern Cape. Transit is the cargo handling and general sales agent (GSA) for Airlink Cargo International (ACI), the cargo arm of SA Airlink – an airline which, according to ACI MD Alwyn Rautenbach, links more destinations in South Africa than any other. “The relationship with Transit further leverages the express air network that links smaller towns, regional centres and hubs throughout South Africa with trunk routes and major cities.” This sees the domestic and international airline consolidator already handling ACI cargoes in Bloem­­fontein, Kimberley, Port Elizabeth, George and East London. The latest move for Transit is to become fully compliant with the demands of “Security 108” – an international aviation security guideline which the SA Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), along with the world’s other aviation control bodies, is busy adopting “We are currently sending all our staff members for full training courses in 108,” said Snell, “and we intend to have a business which is completely up to date in the latest and best in aviation security.” One of the pieces of evidence of this company policy is that it is the first, said Snell, to use fingerprint identification – an infallible method of properly identifying each party collecting goods. “It’s the ultimate in ID technology and all the finger­prints are stored in our client database – which is regularly updated to ensure that they are completely up-to-date.”