Africa is the big target as Maximus invests to meet freight demands

The airline has just concluded a very successful participation in Air Cargo Africa 2011, the first international air cargo conference and expo at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, where it showcased its heavy lift capacity in a market hailed as the ‘New Frontier’.

“With air traffic volumes into Africa set to grow at about 10%, according to IATA, and with long reserves of resources and untapped investment opportunities, local markets in Africa hold strong profit potential,” said Fathi Hilal Buhazza, Maximus Air Cargo President and CEO. “The aviation sector in Africa has been steadily expanding over the last few years and the latest projections paint a positive picture for air transfer in Africa as a whole.”

Industry experts agreed at the deliberations, which stretched over three days, that the African continent has huge potential because of global demand and its good reputation for perishables, especially in Middle East.

“The UAE itself imports over 160 tonnes of perishables every week which is an indication of regional demand,” explained Buhazza. “As a whole, Africa also has a potential for humanitarian relief flights including outsize charters like helicopters, armored vehicles, generators and water tanks, amidst others. There is high demand too for oil well and mining equipment cargo on board.

“Currently there is no capacity to move such quantity. Nairobi, in particular, currently exports 2,000 tons of perishables by air per week to Europe which includes cut flowers, fresh vegetables and fresh fish. Only one African country - Kenya - sells 82% of her horticultural exports in EU countries which reflects African export trends. Although, players in this market include major international airlines which fly into Europe via the Middle East, there still continues to remain a need for capacity into Europe,” revealed Buhazza.

Maximus Air Cargo’s fleet, which focused on developing the ACMI lease to operators market, is a perfect air freight model for perishable cargo. The massive export of flowers from Ethiopia and Kenya to Europe provides the right opportunity for the cargo aircraft operator to provide profitable solutions for such routings.

“Charters are possible for outsize cargo but necessary with connections from Africa back to the Middle East or Europe,” said Joanne McConachy, Maximus’ marketing Manager. “We have the flexibility to move time sensitive goods in the most efficient methods because of our regular North African operations.”