16 FlightCom Magazine
AIR CARGO
CONFERENCE 2015
T
HE conferences are held biennially in
Africa and in alternating years in Bombay
India. It was held in Nairobi in 2011 and
Johannesburg in 2013. Johannesburg is a
popular choice so it was held there again
in 2015.
Air Cargo Africa 2015 enjoyed
increasing support from global players as
well as from the African airfreight community. The conference and
exhibition gathered a record number of more than 90 international
exhibiting companies, 450 global industry decision makers as
registered delegates and brought in an impressive number of 3,000
trade visitors from across 29 African countries and more than 20
countries from other continents to explore business prospects.
Once again the event was supported by the city of Ekurhuleni,
home to the busiest airport in Africa, O R Tambo International
Airport, which, with Rand Airport for general aviation and
excellent road and rail connections, is set to create an aerotropolis
that will parallel some of the biggest in the world.
This conference was set against the backdrop of the
International Air Transport Association (IATA) report in March
2015 which released data for global air freight markets showing
a 3.2% expansion in freight tonne kilometres (FTKs) in January
2015 compared to the same month last year. The growth, however,
is slower than the average of 4.5% recorded for 2014.
African airlines grew cargo volumes by 5.2%. While major
economies such as Nigeria and South Africa are under-performing,
regional trade activity is holding up. Capacity rose just 2.4%,
strengthening the load factor.
This contrasts with Middle Eastern carriers who expanded
FTKs by 9.2%. The hub strategies of the leading airlines in the
region are proving successful as network and capacity expansions
help satisfy demand on international routes and serve inward trade
to Middle Eastern economies. Capacity jumped by 18.1%.
IATA CEO, Tony Tyler, writes: “The global air cargo industry
continues to face challenges. While vulnerability to the economic
cycles is beyond the control of any business sector, it is clear that
the air cargo industry needs to do a better job of improving its value
proposition.”Africa’s premier Air Cargo conference for 2015 was held in Johannesburg
at the end of February.
Air Cargo
TexT: Guy LeiTchÞBELOW: Doing business - Markus Kopp, Mitteldeutsche Airport CEO, and
Tebogo Mekgoe, ACSA COO, sign an MoU on the first day of Air Cargo Africa.The importance
of flowers and
fresh produce
as Africa's key
export to Europe
was evident.Host SAA Cargo's stand.