THE GREEK airline Olympic Airways has boosted its cargo volumes by a massive amount in the last 18-months – and has now hit record levels. Previously moving only one to two pallets per flight into Greece, cargo loads originating from the Johannesburg station have improved a hundredfold, with a record uplift of 160-tons achieved last December. Management told FTW that it felt that Olympic was now recognised as a well-rounded carrier in the local market – attributing much of the growth rate to the appointment of Aviation GSA International as its cargo general sales agent for South Africa. The air carrier has also been successful in securing traffic beyond its traditionally strong European network - extending services into New York, Toronto and Montreal. Meanwhile, perishable traffic into London’s Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris has been spurred by the introduction of pallet and container rates. This has boosted cargo loads and revenues, and capitalised on available capacity beyond Athens. Olympic has also been highly successful in servicing the lucrative hunting trophy market, carrying regular shipments into various destinations within Europe.
