Weather anomalies work in airlines' favour

HEAVY RAINS late last year delayed the export of a variety of perishables, with February the new season peak for stone fruit and grape shipments in 2008. A number of key producers were hit by intense downpours that swept across much of the Western Cape through September and October last year. This raised the sugar and water content of stone fruit and a variety of grapes, lowering their quality and rendering them unexportable. “This has brought a shift in the peak season,” said Cayley Wallis of British Airways World Cargo. “Traditionally, we hit peak in December, and this tapers off in January.” This year has been good for a number of airlines with the summer fruit season moved out two months, filling a traditionally slow period for many airlines while the manufacturers come back online after the festive break.” Skyservices’ Cape Town export manager Yusrie Jacobs painted a similar picture. “The grape season usually ends before Christmas. We’re still doing grapes and if it hadn’t rained last week, we would have even more."