POLAR AIR Cargo, a California-based all-cargo airline, has been granted authority by the US Department of Transportation to become the first American all-cargo carrier to operate scheduled flights between the US and South Africa.
Polar, established in 1993, is the number one all-cargo US carrier and the fourth largest all-cargo airline in the world, with scheduled B747 services to 19 countries on five continents at present.
Their South African service, planned to start in April, will be their initial venture into Africa. With transhipments at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, they will fly to To Page 20 From Page 1 Egypt, Kenya and Zimbabwe, also landing at Johannesburg International.
Each of the African nations that Polar will serve on this route is a focal point for regional economic growth, says Ned Wallace, Polar's c.e.o. The airfreight market from North America to these points is relatively underdeveloped. The ability of a scheduled cargo carrier to integrate its various international routes is critical to long-term success, he says.
When the new service begins, Polar will be able to provide scheduled B747 freighter links between shippers and consignees in the US, Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia.
Jack Kane, Polar's executive vice president of marketing, has noted the challenges that will be associated with pioneering the new route.
Polar's reputation is well-known among major forwarders and shippers in the regions we now serve, he says. That recognition has made our expansion in those markets easier. We do not have that advantage in Africa. However, our discussions with forwarders and government officials in Africa have left us confident that Polar will be well received.
