The hopeful continent


The African continent has been less affected by the global economic meltdown than many other parts of the world. Carriers continue to add flights and many locally-based airlines are upgrading their fleets. Increasingly, too, Africa is reorientating its trade away from Europe to Asia.


S


anjeev Gadhia, CEO of Nairobi-based all-cargo carrier Astral Aviation, informs: “The first half of 2012 saw improved performance on our intra- African network in comparison to the


same period last year. Aircraft utilisation has improved considerably, especially on the DC-9 and B727 freighters.” “Some routes such as Juba, Malakal and


Paloich in South Sudan have shown high growth factors,” he noted. “There have been additional capacity and aircraft upgrades on the key Nairobi - Juba sector, which is now in its sixth year of scheduled service.”


Plus: “Astral’s dedicated warehouse at Juba


International airport has been full, due to the high cargo turnover; thus, we took on a second airside warehouse.” Other routes such as Dar es Salaam and


Mwanza have shown modest growth, while per- formance at Entebbe and Kigali have remained relatively stable, he declared. In the past three months, Astral has signed


new interline agreements with Korean Airlines (which recently introduced three times a week passenger services from Incheon to Nairobi), along with Gulf Air and Coyne Airlines, as well as restructuring its interline agreement with


British Airways and Turkish Airlines Cargo. Gadhia has big plans for the


future too, involving both fleet and network expansion. He is anticipating the creation of two new hubs for Astral’s intra- African network during the 2013-15 period, one at Johan- nesburg and one at Accra. The aim is to operate sched-


uled flights from these hubs and from Nairobi into a total of approximately 30 destinations. The routes will be flown by a fleet of 20-ton MD-83SFs (Special Freighters), which he hopes to acquire from 2013 onwards. In parallel with these expansive plans, the


intention is to develop sea - air hubs through Mombasa, Durban and Accra. This growth would take place against what


has become a more promising market back- drop, he considers. There is more focus on air freight now, with greater investment in cargo terminals and airport infrastructure – which is all very encouraging, Gadhia observed. “In Nairobi, the new cargo terminals at Jomo Kenyatta International airport of Trans


Global and Swissport, along with the upcoming Siginon Cargo Terminal, shows the benefit of private sector participation in public projects. Plus, a new airport in Nacala in northern Mozambique will result in improved logistics in the gas belt of Pemba, and the construction of a new cargo terminal in Accra will boost its posi- tion as an alternate gateway in West Africa.” But: “There is still more that can be done in


markets such as Nigeria, Angola and South Sudan, with improved cargo handling and management required for greater efficiency,” he pointed out.


Geodis Wilson sees Asian opportunity


China to Africa is currently one of the fastest-growing air- freight markets – but from a very low base, says Geodis Wilson’s product director for airfreight, Nikolas Domrowski. “Before, Africans would buy through middlemen in Europe, but increasingly they’re purchasing direct,” he explains. While growth rates can be as high as 100 percent, it must


be stressed that it is not a high-volume market. “Shipment sizes are typically 30 to 100 kilos. It’s not big quantities, but it is a very demand-driven market. People tend to buy what they need immediately, not for stock’” says Domrowski. This is ideal, as aircraft used into Africa are often small and many do not have palletised capacity. Also, the small shipment size tends to lend itself to air


freight rather than sea freight, he adds. The further attraction to the airlines of this market is that yields are high, in contrast to many of the world’s busier routes such as Asia to Europe. The Arab-owned carriers have been quickest to exploit the


Domrowski sees trend towards Africans buying in Asia


opportunities, via their main hubs in the Middle East. Emirates was first to develop the market, but Qatar Airways and now some of the Asian carriers are also getting interested.


Qatar Airways opens new Kilimanjaro connection


Doha-based Qatar Airways operated its inaugu- ral flight to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, at the end of last month (July). Flying daily via Dar-es-Salaam, the A320 ser-


vices are expected to cater to strong demand from passengers and for freight flying out of


what the carrier observed is “fast emerging as a growing economic centre” Future expansion in Africa will include the


airline launching flights to Maputo in Mozam- bique on 31 October, operating three times a week from Doha by way of Johannesburg.


Page 6


20 August 2012


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