Contra Consolidations has reinstated its import consolidation services from China after they were put on hold last year due to f light restrictions.According to airfreight manager Ruzuan Moriarty, regular services are being restored as more airlines take to the skies and routes reopen. “Our European consolidation service out of Amsterdam, and the United Kingdom consolidations from Heathrow, continue to be very busy and have been popular choices since inception.”The impact of Covid-19, however, continued to impact the airfreight sector, said Moriarty.“Increasing freight rates, paired with reduced availability of f lights and backlogs of cargo in certain hub airports, have been challenging to navigate. Off loading cargo in transit is happening more regularly, and some routes have very limited options – with vast differences in rates between congested and non-congested routes,” he said. “Relying on the trucking of cargo to and from Johannesburg to coastal regions due to limited direct f light options also increases lead times for time-sensitive cargo.”On the other hand, said Moriarty, certain commodities, and even larger shipments not usually considered for airfreight, were now being moved via air due to the current delays and challenges being experienced with sea freight.“We remain positive about the outlook for the sector, especially for our export volumes which are continuing to increase month on month.”He said while volumes had generally decreased globally due to the inf lated airfreight costs and limited f light availability due to Covid-19, certain markets were recovering and an increase in volumes was evident. “The equipment shortages and the increase in ocean freight rates from the Far East have contributed to an increase in airfreight volumes from this region. We are also seeing that customers with cargo historically shipped as LCL are now considering airfreight.”
