AfricaReview Air Mauritius adopts Mercator system


Air Mauritius has chosen Emirates Group enterprise Mercator and its Rapid Cargo Solution to handle its cargo revenue accounting. The deal runs for three years. “Air Mauritius has been using


our Rapid Passenger Solution for the past few years and we are delighted to expand our business relationship,” said Mukund Srini- vasan, vice president at Mercator. “The ability for an airline to cap-


ture and analyse accurate, consistent revenue records, plus manage its cargo revenue accounting opera- tions in an integrated fashion, places it at distinct advantage among its competitors.” Dinesh Laljee, Air Mauritius head of revenue


accounting & control, added: “Air Mauritius Cargo Revenue Accounting is undergoing a


transformation whose objective is to ensure that better quality information is delivered rapidly and accurately in the most cost-effec- tive way. “We are confident that Mercator’s system


will help us deliver on these dimensions,” Laljee concluded.


Avient continues to add aircraft


Earlier this year, freighter operator Avient took the decision to use a larger B737F aircraft on some routes out of Entebbe and Johannesburg. According to Steve Landy, com-


mercial manager – scheduled services for the carrier: “By switching to the larger aircraft, this gives us more flex- ibility and more capacity. “It also enabled us to bring down


rates to our customers, as our operat- ing costs are less,” he added. The 737 freighter operation flies to Pemba, Mwtara and Dae-Es-Salaam from Entebbe and to Pemba, Mwtara and Mwanza from Johan- nesburg. Across the Avient African network: “Our


scheduled routes continue to operate at full capacity,” Landy observed. “Last month (July), we added four new direct routes to our portfo- lio, to Freetown, Brazzaville, Lubumbashi and Kinshasa.” And the programme of expansion doesn’t


stop there. “Later this year we are adding anoth- er MD-11F to the fleet,” he said. “Also, an F-27 which will be based in West Africa offering


Eytan Nevo, managing direc- tor of the African Consultancy for Transportation Security (ACTS) – which provides freight screening services in South Africa through specially trained dogs – believes that the amendments to the coun- try’s air cargo regulations that had to be complied with from 1 August have some signifi- cant implications. Major changes, he pointed


out, include the the establish- ment of high-level technical standards for K9 (canine) screening, as well as for X-ray machines; and increasing training require- ments as well a general tightening in controls and oversight performed by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). “These changes will enhance air cargo secu-


ACTS dog in action


feeder services and intra-Africa solutions, will open up further new routes and opportunities.” This growth is taking place in a difficult


business environment, Landy believes. “Whilst Asia remains quiet, airlines look for other work and of course Africa and South America are areas they look towards. This puts pressure on rates, which is not good news for any airline.” Plus, he pointed out, more passenger opera-


tors are offering belly space and higher frequencies. “This also contributes towards decreasing rates and makes life more difficult for the cargo airlines.”


ACTS is top dog for screening in South Africa


enforce the regulations,” Nevo considers. “For us, as a K9 screening


unit and as part of ICTS Europe, from inception we had to comply with the highest technical standards, to the same level as similar K9 units in the European Union. “We now expect that other


companies in South Africa will follow suit. It is imperative that we ensure all dogs are trained to the highest possible level, and that those are maintained at all times,” he noted. ACTS recently added a dog


that sniffs for rhino horn and ivory. It has already had success in finding rhino horn and of ivory with elephant skin. For the future, Nevo is expecting ACTS to


rity across the industry as a whole. They will set and ensure that technical standards are adhered to, and allow the CAA to better


Emirates Airline has confirmed that its Dubai - Lusaka - Harare service will become daily on 1 October. The operation linking its home hub in the


UAE with Zambia and Zimbabwe is currently flown five times a week and, as well as the ben- efits to passengers, the carrier observed that “an increased cargo capacity of 40 percent will facil- itate more export business opportunities for both countries, forging greater trade links and


expand across South Africa, such as into the gateway cities of Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, “once the financial situation and vol- umes allow”.


Emirates grows its footprint on the continent ever larger


increased access to key trading partners in Asia and the Middle East”. Emirates currently offers a weekly capacity of


224 tonnes on its flights out of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Fresh flowers, fruit, vegetables and copper mining by-products make up much of the freight being exported from those countries on the flights, it revealed. The carrier currently serves 21 passen- ger and cargo destinations in Africa.


Page 8


20 August 2012


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