Alitalia returns to South Africa after a 16-year absence
Alitalia has returned to South Africa after a 16-year absence when an Airbus A330 arrived at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport on 9 April. The Italian airline will operate four flights a week between Rome and Johannesburg, adding to Alitalia’s network of 94 international destinations with over 4,000 weekly flights and 143 routes. Alitalia chief […]
Virgin Atlantic Cargo to launch second daily flight to Johannesburg
Virgin Atlantic Cargo is to launch a second daily flight between London and Johannesburg, adding up to 24 tonnes of additional cargo capacity when services commence in October. The new daily flight will be operated by a Boeing 787-9, which can carry up to 24 tonnes of cargo, helping to provide extra capacity with Virgin […]
Pharma and e-commerce help Virgin Cargo volumes hit five year high
Revenue at Virgin Atlantic Cargo increased nine per cent in 2017 and volumes have reached a five year high driven by strong demand in pharmaceutical and e-commerce shipments. The airline carried 230,500 tonnes of cargo in 2017, up six per cent thanks to particularly strong westbound business to the USA with daily Heathrow-Seattle services performing […]
Delta Cargo launches Equation Critical for time critical shipments
Delta Cargo has launched a new GPS enabled service called Equation Critical for international time sensitive shipment. The premium service for shipments that must travel on the next available flight, offer GPS tracking and moves with the highest priority across Delta’s network, allowing customers to know where their shipment is, anywhere in the world in […]
Quarter 3: Durban’s best ever airfreight volumes
The introduction of additional wide-bodied passenger flights into Durban, as well as the increased frequency of chartered aircraft using King Shaka International Airport, helped Durban’s international cargo volumes in Q3 2017 increase by 13.7 per cent over Q3 2016. This increase comes on the back of the highest-ever recorded cargo throughput during the months of […]
IATA welcomes SAATM but warns implementation is key
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has welcomed the launch in Addis Ababa of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) initiative by the African Union (AU) to open up Africa’s skies and improve intra-African air connectivity. Enhanced connectivity will stimulate demand, improve the competitiveness of the African airline industry, and make air travel more […]
Siginon Aviation appoints Klinjstra as new general manager
Kenyan cargo and ground handler Siginon Aviation has appointed former regional director for cargo sales at Martinair Cargo in South Africa, Maarten Klinjstra (pictured below) as general manager. He will oversee the general management of all Siginon Aviation operations at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Eldoret International Airport. Klinjstra is seasoned aviation and air cargo […]
AMI introduces click2ship Express Imports to South Africa
AMI is to introduce click2ship Express Imports to South Africa, which it says will revolutionise express imports with the launch of an all-inclusive online service. The new service is the imports counterpart of click2ship Express Exports, launched in South Africa in 2014, and click2ship Express Imports provides online quotes and booking for imports from any […]
Perspex South Africa partners with Tigers
Perspex South Africa has joined forces with Tigers SA to provide customers with enhanced service delivery. The Perspex SA Gauteng, South Africa branch has agreed to partner with the logistics and transportation company for all its warehousing and distribution needs. Perspex South Africa provides cast acrylic products, as well as extruded acrylics, styrenics, polycarbonate, aluminium […]
New cool chain facility adds perishables capacity at Durban
A new 99.2 million Rand ($7.3 million) state-of-the-art cold storage facility has been opened within the Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone at Durban’s King Shaka International Airport in South Africa. The iDube Cold Storage Facility will cater to the growing demand in chilled and frozen perishables storage within the region. It will initially cater to meat importers servicing local […]
Tonnage picks up but yields remain weak for Cargolux
After a slow start to the year, tonnage has picked up again though yields are still a problem, Cargolux Airlines International country manager – South Africa, Stuart Gow tells Air Cargo Week. He says the year started slowly, as to be expected over the Christmas/New Year period but there has been a strong increase in […]
One dead and another arrested after OR Tambo armed robbery
An armed robber was shot dead and another arrested after they held up Swissport security guards at the cargo precinct of O.R. Tambo International Airport on 1 July. Airport spokesperson Leigh Gunkel-Keuler says a group of armed men held up and overpowered security guards employed by Checkport at the Swissport warehouse at 10.55h on 1 […]
Turkish Cargo to start flights to Johannesburg and Madagascar
Turkish Cargo is continuing to expand its freighter network with weekly Istanbul – Johannesburg – Antananarivo services from 1 July. The Airbus A330 Freighter flight will leave Istanbul Ataturk at 13.45h on Saturday, landing in Johannesburg at 22.25h, before departing at 00.25h and arriving in Madagascar at 04.25h, leaving at 06.25h and returning to Istanbul […]
Western Global flies white rhinos to US animal sanctuary
Western Global Airlines has airlifted 11 endangered white rhinos from Johannesburg to an undisclosed wildlife conservation centre in the Eastern United States. The 11 animals were accompanied by a vet for the 15-hour flight on board a Boeing MD-11 Freighter, and then transported to a sanctuary where conservationists are working to increase their population. Western […]
Air Cargo Africa 2017: Drones to be part of life
The potential of other transport methods including drones, UAVs and airships in Africa provided an interesting discussion to end the Air Cargo Africa conference and exhibition. The panel discussion, ‘Innovations in cargo delivery: from drones to UAVs to airships’ was moderated by BeCon Projects chief executive officer (CEO), Uwe Beck, who was joined by Astral […]
Africa has huge potential and challenges to overcome
Africa is expected to make up 20 per cent of the global population by 2050, creating a huge potential labour force and consumer market but the numerous challenges were a major talking point in the first panel discussion of Air Cargo Africa in Johannesburg. During the session, ‘Unlocking Africa’s civil aviation potential: the time is […]
Reduced tariffs and facility upgrades planned for OR Tambo
OR Tambo International Airport is to reduce tariffs by 35 per cent from 1 April and plans to improve access to cargo buildings, and will build a midfield cargo terminal. Speaking after the Air Cargo Africa conference and exhibition, OR Tambo general manager, Bongiwe Pityi (pictured above second left) said air cargo remains under pressure […]
Ambitious Siginon Aviation looking to grow its presence in Nairobi
Kenyan cargo handler Siginon Aviation is targeting a contract win with a European carrier in Nairobi in the near future as it looks to further expand its presence at one of Africa’s main airfreight hubs. Earlier this month it secure a cargo handling deal with Qatar Airways Cargo, adding to others it has with Cargolux, […]
Many issues to discuss as Air Cargo Africa returns for another year
There will be much to talk about at Air Cargo Africa in Johannesburg, with five panels discussing issues including Africa’s potential and overcapacity, and forum sessions including pharmaceuticals and perishables. The action will kick off with a welcome address by STAT Media Group editor-in-chief, R K Patra at 11.00h on Tuesday 21 February, followed by […]
New South Africa cargo handling contract for Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines has extended its cargo handling agreement in South Africa with Africa Flight Services (AFS) – part of Worldwide Flight Services’ (WFS) global airport services group – with the awarding of a new contract in Johannesburg. AFS already provides cargo handling services for the airline in Cape Town, and expects to handle more that […]
South African Airways Cargo opens a ‘Pet Lounge’ at OR Tambo
South African Airways Cargo (SAA Cargo) has introduced a new ‘Pet Lounge’ facility for domestic pets Cargo OR Tambo International Terminal in Johannesburg. The Pet Lounge started operating from 1 October and is designed for the pets’ comfort and safety. SAA Cargo says it ensures they experience a stress-free environment during their journey as it minimises any environmental […]
EgyptAir struggling in South Africa but looking to expand
South Africa has been struggling economically in recent times and this has affected the air cargo market. EgyptAir Cargo operates three flights a week into the country from Cairo using an Airbus A330-300 passenger aircraft and has felt the strain. The carrier’s vice president of cargo operations, Walaa Yousri says the air cargo business is […]
AMI sees Durban growth from ‘fly-direct’ policy
The Durban branch of airfreight wholesaler AMI has seen significant growth in traffic for the first half of 2016. The first quarter showed healthy growth of 7.4 per cent, but this was overtaken by the second quarter’s growth, at 118 per cent. As a result, AMI’s Durban traffic has grown by 59 per cent for the year […]
FIA16: CargoLogicAir to transport Bloodhound speed record car
CargoLogicAir (CLA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bloodhound Project to transport the World Land Speed Record attempt car to South Africa. The new airline, a subsidiary of Volga-Dnepr Group will use its Boeing 747-8 Freighter it took delivery of on Friday 8 July to transport the Bloodhound SSC from the UK to […]
SAA hoping for better year
South African Airways (SAA) Cargo says it is hopeful that business will improve in 2016 as it faces a slow global economy, countries in the region suffer from drought and weakness of the South African rand. SAA Cargo general manager, Tleli Makhetha tells Air Cargo Week: “We experienced a decline in volumes in 2015 due […]
2016 off with a bang for CFR Freight
CFR Freight is not expecting 2016 to be an easy year but following a record breaker in 2015, general manager for airfreight Stephen Bishop, and group chief executive officer, Peter Schmidt-Löffler tell Air Cargo Week. They say: “The diversification to warehousing and transport has transformed the business and has further solidified the relationship with our […]
IAG Cargo targets perishables market in South Africa
IAG Cargo is to expand its reach into South Africa by adding a new route to Cape Town later this year, to target the flourishing perishables market. The carrier has today launched a new Boeing 777-200 route to Cape Town from London’s Gatwick Airport, which will operate three times a week. The new Cape Town route […]
AirBridgeCargo starts African services
AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has started twice weekly Boeing 747 Freighter services to Africa, starting in the UK, then onto Germany, before flying to Gabon and South Africa, returning via Kenya. The first service flew on 14 February and will operate on Thursdays and Sundays under an aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) contract with CargoLogicAir […]
Air China appoints ACP Worldwide as GSA for first African flight
Air China has appointed ACP Worldwide as its general sales agent (GSA) for South Africa, as the carrier starts the first non-stop China to Africa flights on 29 October. The Chinese airline will fly to Beijing from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays using a Boeing 777-300 Extended Range. The […]
