Airline operators increase freighter operations as demand for air and sea services surges in Africa
Date：04-21 170 Belong to：News Information
Kenya Airways has entered into service its second Boeing 737-800 freighter and hopes the additional capacity will help the airline meet growing sea air demand to West Africa.
The second aircraft arrived in Kenya in late March and began flying for the airline in early April.
Kenya Airways took delivery of its first 737-800F earlier this year, and the two aircraft join the airline’s existing two 737-300Fs.
The two new aircraft have a greater range than the 300F and will be used to fly to the Middle East and India, particularly Sharjah and Mumbai, as well as destinations in Africa, said Peter Musola, head of cargo operations at Kenya Airways.
The airline hopes to add services to Riyadh and Jeddah, as well as additional points in India, after the second freighter arrives.
Another driver of demand this year has been sea air volumes from the Middle East, Musola said, as shippers look to avoid the longer route by which vessels go around the Cape of Good Hope to reach West Africa because of missile attacks in the Red Sea.
He noted that Kenya Airways already serves many destinations in West Africa and is therefore well placed to take advantage of demand for maritime aviation.
“This is a major modal shift for cargo from sea to air and one of the areas affected is the west coast of Africa. KQ already touches terminals in Freetown, Conakry, Monrovia and Accra.”
“Ideally, these ships would go through the Suez Canal, around the continent and into that part of West Africa, but right now it’s a bit blocked.
“Many exporters in the Far East transship their cargo by sea to the Middle East and then air freight it from there to the European continent. ”
He added that the company was also exploring the possibility of adding freighter flights to Dubai World Central, one of the region’s main sea-air hubs, although he added that these plans pre-date the growth in sea-air transport and will help meet export demand (meat and perishables).
Kenya Airways is not the only air cargo company to have noticed an uptick in ocean freight demand from West Africa as a result of container ship attacks in the Red Sea.
Dirk Goovaerts, regional director for Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa and chairman of global freight at Swissport International, has also noticed the increase in demand, which he expects to continue.
“We still expect a strong year for air cargo in Africa,” he said.
“There are a number of factors contributing to this, but the continued difficulty of ocean freight crossing the Red Sea is the main accelerator for air cargo in Africa.”
The second aircraft arrived in Kenya in late March and began flying for the airline in early April.
Kenya Airways took delivery of its first 737-800F earlier this year, and the two aircraft join the airline’s existing two 737-300Fs.
The two new aircraft have a greater range than the 300F and will be used to fly to the Middle East and India, particularly Sharjah and Mumbai, as well as destinations in Africa, said Peter Musola, head of cargo operations at Kenya Airways.
The airline hopes to add services to Riyadh and Jeddah, as well as additional points in India, after the second freighter arrives.
Another driver of demand this year has been sea air volumes from the Middle East, Musola said, as shippers look to avoid the longer route by which vessels go around the Cape of Good Hope to reach West Africa because of missile attacks in the Red Sea.
He noted that Kenya Airways already serves many destinations in West Africa and is therefore well placed to take advantage of demand for maritime aviation.
“This is a major modal shift for cargo from sea to air and one of the areas affected is the west coast of Africa. KQ already touches terminals in Freetown, Conakry, Monrovia and Accra.”
“Ideally, these ships would go through the Suez Canal, around the continent and into that part of West Africa, but right now it’s a bit blocked.
“Many exporters in the Far East transship their cargo by sea to the Middle East and then air freight it from there to the European continent. ”
He added that the company was also exploring the possibility of adding freighter flights to Dubai World Central, one of the region’s main sea-air hubs, although he added that these plans pre-date the growth in sea-air transport and will help meet export demand (meat and perishables).
Kenya Airways is not the only air cargo company to have noticed an uptick in ocean freight demand from West Africa as a result of container ship attacks in the Red Sea.
Dirk Goovaerts, regional director for Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa and chairman of global freight at Swissport International, has also noticed the increase in demand, which he expects to continue.
“We still expect a strong year for air cargo in Africa,” he said.
“There are a number of factors contributing to this, but the continued difficulty of ocean freight crossing the Red Sea is the main accelerator for air cargo in Africa.”
