Emirates has eye on growing air cargo market in Africa

EMIRATES Airlines is seeking to tap opportunities in the growing African market, to raise the profitability of its air cargo business.


"These are great times for us. Africa is diverse and proving to be a major hub for air cargo with all developments taking off there," Emirates divisional senior vice president-cargo Ram Menen was quoted as saying on the sidelines of the Air Cargo Africa Conference in a report by Capital Business, Nairobi


It noted that Africa is a major exporter of raw materials "as well as being at the forefront of importing infrastructure gear that is boosting business for cargo airlines," it said.


Emirates operates a freighter four times a week into Nairobi and serves 15 other countries with flights to Lilongwe, Entebbe, Lagos and Dakar.


According to Mr Menen, South Africa has been a good source of business for the carrier as it is a top exporter of gold and diamonds. Emirates is said to operate freighters on an ad hoc basis owing to its regular daily passenger service to South Africa.


"The transport infrastructure is still a challenge for us but we are seeing African governments addressing this and it should help us a lot," he said.


The report added that as part of its global strategy, Emirates plans to boost links between importers and exporters to improve the quality of service offered and stimulate economic growth in Africa.
(Source:http://www.schednet.com)