Von Mansberg takes on commercial responsibility for Hydro

GERD VON Mansberg, head of The Cargo Connection, has been appointed commercial manager of Hydro Air, the South African based cargo carrier which operates two flights a week between Johannesburg and the Belgian airport at Ostend.
The appointment comes into effect on January 1 when all aspects of the airline's ground operations, including handling, bookings, accounts and general management will be controlled from The Cargo Connection's Kempton Park headquarters.
Hydro Air chief executive Frik Knoetze revealed that the airline had also terminated its European GSA support contract with Capitol International, and had appointed Active Airline representatives BV in Amsterdam as its marketing arm. The latter is linked with Brussels group Airfellow, whose cargo bookings from Ostend to Lagos and Kinshasa on the route to Johannesburg are controlled by The Cargo Connection. This arrangement will continue, says Knoetze.
"In South Africa it has been decided to follow the natural progression of establishing our own commercial and marketing departments," he said.
"For the past year we have utilised Express Air Services in Johannesburg, and we have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with them. Their service has been good at all times. But with increasing pressure on us being a Pretoria-based operation with other business interests to consider in the Hydro Holdings set up, we have decided to appoint Von Mansberg as commercial manager. He and his team will contact all freight forwarders and agents to make the necessary booking arrangements for flights from the start of 2002."