US - SA freighter service planned

LEONARD NEILL
AFRA AIR Cargo, an Atlanta (US) based freighter airline, is planning a twice-a-week scheduled freighter service between Houston, Texas and Johannesburg, in both directions, from August 1.
That’s the word from Gerd von Mansberg, chairman of The Cargo Connection, appointed GSA for the African sector of the service, which will involve stopovers at Accra, West Africa in both directions.
The Johannesburg service is phase one of the plans. The second phase, scheduled later in the year, will be a US-West African service which will not affect the US-Johannesburg leg.
The airline operates 747-400 freighters and has insisted, says Von Mansberg, that its service should be seen as an African initiative rather than a US-based one.
“My company instructed an independent company in this country to undertake a survey on the feasibility of a freighter service between SA and US. The results clearly indicated that there was a need for it, and that it offered new export opportunities for South African producers.
“It will be of inestimable value to perishable markets, especially in fish and flowers, which cannot be flown to the US via Europe with any degree of certainty that product quality will be maintained via transhipment.
“The growth in general exports which qualify under the AGOA agreement is also a factor to be considered. At the same time, the stronger rand is encouraging imports from the US, and this will ensure that the southbound flights will carry more cargo than might previously have been expected.”
The final documents will be prepared this month. According to Von Mansberg there will be some South African financial funding in the venture. Flights from Johannesburg are scheduled to depart at around 04:00 on Thursdays and Sundays.