CFR Freight will increase its airfreight import product offerings in 2020 as part of a bigger strategy to remain competitive.According to the company’s airfreight director, Stephen Bishop, they are cautiously optimistic for the year ahead following a tough 2019 that saw global demand for airfreight drop for 12 consecutive months.“The global market has been a bit depressed, but the Africa region continues to show signs of promise,” he said. “We certainly had our challenges in 2019. Imports were under tremendous pressure, but we performed ahead of expectation with our exports.”Bishop said African airlines would continue to play a crucial role in CFR’s airfreight strategy in the next year. “Direct f lights to hub stations are always attractive options, and African destinations will continue to feature heavily in our top lanes,” he added. “Some airlines have been aggressively expanding their f leets. By providing additional options they become more attractive.”Key to success, he said, was having the right partners in Africa.“We have a new network onboard to assist with delivered-at-place (DAPs) into the region. We hope that this will be a differentiator in the market.”
