Airlink Cargo has recorded strong growth in airfreight volumes to Botswana during the first quarter of the year with the trend expected to continue in coming months.
According to Alwyn Rautenbach, executive manager: cargo, consistent demand has seen volumes increasing month on month, with April being the best month this year. He told FTW that the air service to Botswana was not only reliable and fast but was also considered to be extremely competitive considering the type of cargo being moved.
“There is demand for vulnerable and high-value cargo to Botswana as well as courier material,” he said. Working with their business partners, Rautenbach said Airlink was expecting to see a further increase in volumes especially when it came to precious cargo. “We can only go from strength to strength,” he said. “We are also seeing an increase in cargo to Maun and Kasane in Botswana. This is extremely encouraging especially because these destinations are considered to be mainly tourist destinations.”
To meet the growing demand the airline recently introduced an E190 aircraft into Maun and Kasane, providing additional capacity.
“There’s growing awareness of our cargo service from Cape Town directly to Maun – which is good news for volume growth,” said Rautenbach. The message from Airlink is, however, that it’s not only about point to point services – but rather a source-to-destination option.
The airline is also pushing inter-Africa connections – encouraging shippers to send cargo from Gaborone to a city in Mozambique, for example, via Johannesburg. “And we won’t charge double the rate because it’s an Airlink shipment for the full distance,” said Rautenbach.
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There is demand for vulnerable and high-value cargo to Botswana as well as courier material. – Alwyn Rautenbach
