Driven by increasing demand for its farm goods and the long sea freight transit times compared to other continents, Africa is seeing demand for airfreight operations grow.
“Africa’s airfreight industry has seen significant growth,” Fahad Farah, Managing Director of Delta Express Africa, said.
“Additionally, there is a rising demand for Africa’s horticultural produce in Europe and the Middle East, which propels the need for efficient and timely airfreight solutions.”
“The region has developed robust infrastructures and networks that support the increasing volume of air cargo, particularly in fresh produce.
“These are not only enhancing their airfreight capabilities but are also attracting significant investments aimed at boosting their logistics infrastructure.”
“Fresh produce is at the heart of our operations, and the demand for these goods in key markets such as Europe and the Middle East has been a crucial factor in Africa’s recent success,” Farah remarked.
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Planning is key
Ensuring smooth shipments in a region that can be unpredictable requires meticulous preparation, working around the clock to make sure shipments depart on time despite unpredictable challenges caused by the airlines and stiff competition in the contracted rate market among key exporters.
“The peak season is particularly challenging, with limited aircraft space. We have block space agreements in advance with the airlines to ensure uninterrupted service to our clients,” Farah outlined.
“Offering multimodal solutions helps us provide our clients with holistic options. When time is not a priority for our clients, and we have favourable transit times, we recommend sea freight. This helps us cater to clients who are cost-sensitive but not time-sensitive.
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Outperforming other regions
While Africa has shown strength in the airfreight market compared with other areas, Farah believes the figures are skewed slightly by the region’s underperformance in the past.
“Africa has lagged behind other continents in terms of airfreight developments, but it is catching up now,” Farah explained.
To keep this momentum going, he believes it is critical to build a strong, connected network in the African market through enhanced infrastructure: “Continued investment in both air and sea freight capabilities is essential to ensure Africa can meet the growing global demand for its produce efficiently and effectively.
“A key strategy is to consolidate cargo from multiple countries for both inbound and outbound shipments.
“Another driving factor for Africa’s outbound growth will be China, which last year agreed to import fresh and frozen avocados from producing countries like South Africa and Kenya.”
