Vol. 11 No. 19                            #INTHEAIREVERYWHERE                              Thursday February 21, 2013


     SAA Cargo has its hands full as it works to achieve its mandate to transport goods domestically, within the region and around the world reports General Manager Cargo, Tleli Makhetha.
     “Our core business is to provide reliable air transportation of time-sensitive freight from perishables and livestock to automobiles and dangerous goods,” Mr. Makhetha declared.
     “To that end SAA Cargo is a mature established product line and one of the most pro€table divisions of SAA."
     In addition to utilizing the belly space of SAA’s growing wide-bodied fleet of cargo friendly passenger aircraft and its own four freighters including two Boeing 737- 300Fs and two Boeing 737- 200Fs – SAA Cargo has partnerships in accessing key markets.
     Without a doubt, SAA Cargo has felt some pinch in its search for business as demand into and out of Africa has changed with an increase in airfreight capacity by Middle Eastern and European carriers. This increased capacity has applied more than a bit of pressure all around on traditional export products, such as automotive and perishables, from South Africa into Europe.
     But the benefit of South Africa’s admittance to the emerging-economies association BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) just over two years ago has continued to deliver some upside demand to emerging new markets.
    Looking ahead SAA is working to increase utilization of its four freighters in line with ongoing challenges Africa faces with its infrastructure, namely moving goods quickly by road and rail transport.
     “SAA Cargo sees opportunity for further growth as we continue to explore both new market opportunities whilst deepening our reach via our four freighters and expanded scheduled passenger lift.”


 

     Black History Month in the USA gets more gravitas from international air cargo, as India-based Stat Times begins its second go around in the booming Africa market and the transportation trade show arena this week with Air Cargo Africa (ACA) in Johannesburg February 20-22.
     The event is being held at The Emperors Palace Hotel, with everything conducted under one roof.
     Two years ago, ACA premiered in Nairobi, Kenya, and drew mostly positive reviews. It was the first time anything resembling an air cargo trade show took place on a continent emerging as an increasingly important market.
     Networking positives “and good for the first show” were what we heard from ACA Nairobi two years ago.
     Now with greater attention, penetration, and competition for what Africa has to offer air cargo, it will be interesting to monitor results from Johannesburg this week.
     It seems to us that ACA may be thinking it is playing it safe by going to powerful and developed Johannesburg, the former and (according to many) future African destination.
     But by leveraging the mature Johannesburg “Hub of Africa” address and location, ACA, which is fattening the Stat Times coffers, must also deliver, and conferees that are paying for booth space, hotels, airplane tickets, journal ads, bar bills, and dinner tickets should set the bar higher and expect solid results.
     As a trade show, ACA needs to show body of proof accountability to the companies that are supporting and attending this event.
      An early tip off of how well ACA will deliver will be the appearance, involvement, and level of the global air cargo executive group.
     Keep an eye out for how many companies and top transportation types appear from the Americas, and Asia, and Europe.
     Expect a high level of participation from the Middle East, from Africa itself, and from “the usual suspects.”
     But without a big injection of stakeholders from everywhere else, ACA, whatever it claims to be, is a regional event.
     The hope is that the show organizers can show performance on the promise.


      “Africa has traditionally been a stronghold of the former Swissair, and now of SWISS,” says Oliver Evans, SWISS Chief Cargo Officer.
     “In fact, together with our sister companies Lufthansa Cargo and Brussels Airlines, the Lufthansa Cargo Group is a powerhouse in the continent.
     “Because of the importance of the oil and gas industry in Africa, and the fact that SWISS does not fly to Houston, Texas, SWISS agreed to withdraw from certain routes (Malabo in Equatorial Guinea or Douala and Yaounde in Cameroon) while one of our sister companies stepped into the market or added capacity and frequencies.
     “Nevertheless our strategy of deploying a global network serving the most important markets into and out of Switzerland for both passengers and cargo means that Africa not only remains, but grows as a strategic market for our company.”


      “We have daily flights to Johannesburg in South Africa, and we serve Cape Town through our fully-owned subsidiary, Edelweiss Air.
      “Furthermore we have daily flights to Nairobi in Kenya and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, while also serving Mombasa and Mauritius, again through Edelweiss Air.
      “Last but not least is our presence in Egypt, a troubled country which we fervently hope can emerge as a peaceful, strong, and democratic economic powerhouse from yesterday’s abuses and today’s turmoil.
      “There is, as you would expect from such a diverse continent, a wide range of commodities flying in and out, many of which are care-intensive and require the service standards which have become the hallmark of SWISS: machinery and spares in both directions in all markets served, auto parts from South Africa, flowers and vegetables northbound from Tanzania, Kenya, and Egypt, valuables again in both directions, textiles from Mauritius, crafts from Mombasa, etc.
      “East Africa is now also waking up to the rich promise of oil and gas, with huge fields on the border between Mozambique and Tanzania.
      “Moreover, the demographics of Africa, with a young population, the extraordinary spirit of entrepreneurship enabled by the spread of smart phones and microfinance, and the unsteady but unmistakable spread of democracy, and ongoing investment by western, Chinese, and Middle eastern interests, all make for a very exciting future for the continent.”


      “I want everyone to know how proud we are of the fantastic teams we have in each of our gateways on the continent.
      “They are well educated and well trained to the highest standards we have anywhere, are incredibly motivated, respectful, committed, and have that very special African joie de vivre which inspires all who come in touch with them: they are our voice to the customers, our ears to the market, our heart in the commitment to service: they are Swiss WorldCargo.”

When you look at the broad sweep of things. 2013 is shaping up as a very special year.
The American regulators have engaged with industry in the ACAS pilots in a very refreshing, constructive and urgent way.
     The European Union has withdrawn its threat to impose a unilateral ETS and committed itself to working towards a global, balanced scheme.
     TIACA has been invited to participate in next month’s ICAO Air Transport Conference in Montreal, bringing in the voice of the air cargo industry, and both parties have committed themselves to an ongoing mutually beneficial engagement. And the WCS (so re-named generously by IATA who no longer call it the IATA WCS) will see a whole range of participants from right across the industry and regulators, the usual spread of tracks dealing with every aspect of our beloved industry, and a very welcome focus on what I cherish most of all, the people of our industry and our future executives.
     This is the Year of the Snake, a superb animal perfectly adapted to its shifting environment, and perfectly poised on its belly as we, Swiss WorldCargo, are on ours: may we, our customers and suppliers, and all our industry groups enjoy the coming 12 months.

 


     Abimael Ortiz, regional director for Cargo Sales and Service, Delta Air Lines Cargo, is responsible for the sales activity and planning of Delta Cargo's activities in Latin America, the Caribbean, and South Africa.
      He says, “Africa is a strategic growth market for Delta Cargo. We’ve steadily increased our business on the continent since becoming the first major U.S. airline to start service there in 2006. Cargo exit-Africa now accounts for 4 percent of Delta’s total shipments from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India.
     "The types of cargo vary by market, but include perishables such as live fish, reptiles, and fresh fruit and vegetables shipped from West Africa. Larger exports include auto parts, oil and gas machinery, and metal piping. Apparel and medical supplies are also significant cargo items shipped. Additionally, we’re a leading transporter of civil mail from Nigeria and Ghana.
     "Currently Delta offers daily nonstop service between Atlanta, Johannesburg, and Lagos. We also fly between New York-JFK and Accra, Dakar, and Monrovia."
     "Africa is a competitive market for both cargo and passenger traffic. We’ve got to ensure that whatever the shipment and wherever the destination here, we deliver it with consistent operational excellence and the performance that Delta Cargo is known for elsewhere in the world."


      “Africa is very important for Saudia Cargo.
      “In the past few years we have had significant growth in Africa,” said Peter Scholten, VP Commercial at Saudia Cargo.
      “Saudia Cargo is rapidly expanding its network in African and operates 25 weekly freighter flights to Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, Khartoum, and N’Djamena as well as to nine additional destinations in West Africa via our Lagos hub.
      “Furthermore we offer capacity to the African continent in the bellies of 90 weekly passenger flights to Addis Ababa, Cairo, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Kano, Khartoum, Nairobi, and Tunis.
      “We fly mainly personal effects, pharmaceuticals, electronic consumer items, garments, and relief goods.
      “From Africa the main export stations are Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, and Nairobi, where we uplift perishables to the Middle East and Europe.
      “In terms of future plans to grow our African presence, in March we will increase our weekly frequencies to Lagos (8) and Ndjamena (2).
      “In April we will start freighter flights to Kano, Nigeria, and Eldoret, Kenya.
      “New services to Asmara, Djibouti, Luanda, and Lome are on our radar screen.
      “So with service ramping up and our proximity to the African continent (30-minute flight times from our hub in Jeddah to the African continent), we offer expanding freighter capacity strengthened by our global network and stability as a company.”



      “United currently provides nonstop 777 service to Lagos from our Houston hub five days per week,” reports Robbie Anderson, President, United Cargo.
      “When we launched this flight in November 2011, it was the first regularly scheduled service between the state of Texas and the continent of Africa—and we are still the only carrier flying this route.
      “In terms of business, United Cargo is very pleased with the eastbound volumes on this route.
      “Our Lagos service has been a consistent, high-performing lane for us from the very beginning.
      “Befitting the connection between two important ’oil capitals,’ we transport a large amount of oil field equipment and related machinery as cargo on our IAH-LOS flight.
      “United and United Cargo are bullish on the future of Africa.
      “With a growing middle class and an increasing share of global GDP, we view Africa as one of the world’s most important emerging regions.
      “There also seems to be a growing awareness of the need to develop lasting solutions to the infrastructure challenges that have impeded the growth of aviation on the continent.
      “Looking ahead, United will take delivery of a number of new wide body long-range aircraft in the coming years, and we are very excited about exploring new route possibilities in Africa,” Robbie Anderson.



October 4, 2011, Emirates A380 makes inaugural landing in Johannesburg.


     Everyone by now has read about the upcoming retirement of Ram Menen, Sr. DVP Emirates SkyCargo.
     But having been the key player in building the global SkyCargo colossus, Ram should have no trouble moving into his new reality.
     At heart the unflappable Ram is as much a “Mohair Sam”—relaxed as your favorite weekend jeans—as anyone we have ever come across in this air cargo journey.
     “This is a good conference and show ... The first day was very busy. Glad to see that the cargo industry is taking time to market itself.
     “Quality of the exhibits and attendance are really impressive and the organization has so far been great with very good networking opportunities.
     “Shows that Africa is gaining importance as a market.
     “Venue is also a plus, lends itself very well in keeping all the attendees and events in one location.”
     “The message that we are bringing to our customers is that we connect Africa to the world, and we are here for our customers as a catalyst. to grow trade in Africa’s commerce.
     “Africa is a very high growth continent for us. Emirates operates to 22 destinations in this continent, so we practically cover all the major cities in eastern, southern, western, and northern Africa.
     “Just look at our route map and that says it all.
     “Between our freighters and wide-bodied passenger aircraft operations we have the best network, capacity, and frequencies to the world via our Dubai hub.
     “So despite the slowdown in economy in the rest of the world, Africa has held its own and fared well, both in inbound and outbound traffic.
     “Being the next frontier, Africa is leapfrogging technology and building its infrastructure for tomorrow.
     “China tends to have a very strong influence in building infrastructure and commerce.
     “Outbound cargo is predominantly perishable, mainly from the Southern and East Africa region.
     “Looking at the industry in 2013 we are expecting more of the same markets as 2012 this year.
     “So worldwide, the earth is flat.
     “If oil prices were to take a dip and remain down for a few months, then we would likely see a pickup in the market.
     “One immediate truth for 2013: predicting/forecasting anything is nearly an impossible task.”


     “Africa is indeed the last frontier in the sense that there is so much potential for air cargo,” said Neel Jones Shah, President, JS Aviation Consulting and Chief Commercial Officer, Able Freight Services. “Land-locked countries with vast resources and a poor road infrastructure make for a very lucrative air cargo market.
     “The only question is, will everyone stop fighting for long enough to realize the potential of this great continent?
     “I believe that once people begin to get a taste of the prosperity just around the corner (and I mean the middle class and not just the ruling class) then the people will demand peace because they will have hope for the future.
     “Obviously for air cargo to deliver on that hope, new airports and other related projects, including handling capabilities, need to be built, but I believe Africa will be a very attractive investment opportunity for companies prone to a higher risk/reward profile.
     “There must be major investment in infrastructure across Africa.
     “It’s a bit of a chicken and egg story here, but I do believe that many countries are figuring this out, much as Issa Baluch pointed out in your last issue, and hopefully others will take their cue.
     “Political stability (bureaucracy, corruption, etc.) is the key to it all, and we can only hope that Africa has turned a corner in this regard.
     “Only time will tell.”


    “So far 2013 is turning out just like I expected it would.
    “We have a pretty sluggish air cargo market with still too much capacity and continued pressure on yields, which at the end of the day isn’t good for anyone involved in the supply chain.
    “There are still plenty of road bumps ahead of us, but if we can see our way past them I believe we will be poised for a decent second half of the year given the overall optimism in the U.S. (stock market, housing starts, etc.).
    “Europe is not getting worse and Asia is actually doing quite well.”

     Neel Jones Shah stepped down as Senior Vice President and Chief Cargo Officer, Delta Air Lines Cargo Friday July 27, 2012.
     We wonder how the ensuing months have been going for this most dynamic and engaged veteran air cargo executive.

I have been keeping myself very busy over the past few months having formed my own consultancy – JS Aviation Consulting – and have also taken on the Chief Commercial Officer duties at Able Freight Services, Inc. which is a phenomenal mid-sized company truly committed to the integrity of the cold chain and outstanding customer service.
     I have also had the privilege of working with the great team at OnAsset to help them introduce their revolutionary GPS/Temperature/Intrusion device to the industry.
     OnAsset will change how we monitor high value cargo in the months and years to come and am really looking forward to helping with the rollout over the coming months.
      Just like everyone else, I am also watching the changing landscape of the U.S. industry with the recent announcement of the merger between US Airways and AA.
     Any yes, the travel continues. I am spending about 8-10 days per month in Los Angeles working directly with the Able team and the balance of my time is spent in Atlanta working from my home office.
     I have also been quite busy with international travel, having already taken a nine day trip to Asia in January along with a recent trip to Berlin to visit Fruit Logistica, which (as you reported) I can confirm is an unbelievable trade show.

Geoffrey




 

RE: Delta Cargo Back To A Billion

Geoffrey,

     Thank you for your article on Tony Charaf, a man with whom I had the pleasure to share many good things in our industry.
     It’s rewarding to see that Delta recognizes the value and above all the knowledge and experience that he brings to this position. Good for them.
     I wish Tony all the success that he deserves.

All the best,
Isaac Nijankin
Knijankin@aol.com

Editors Note: Isaac (pictured) was the builder of Varig Cargo for 35 years, and later ELAL in USA. He is one of the people that brought TIACA into modern times, among other achievements. Today Isaac is retired and lives with his wife Monique in New York & Florida.

RE: Remember John Vittas

Geoff,

     Good memories of my time at AA and John Vittas is in so many of them. The best of the best.

Barry Hansen

Dear Geoffrey,

     John Vittas was the 8th Wonder of the World. People like him are hard to come by. A friend to many, I first met John Vittas back in 1992. He was the Cargo Manager of Worldwide Flight Services. I had knocked on his door and asked if he would be interested in having a woman vendor provide the company with vending service. Well, John looked at me, and said, “I would love nothing better than to give a hard working woman an opportunity to provide services.” I looked at him and said, “I will be doing the work myself with my family.” John's reply was, “I will be more than happy to have you provide my buildings with vending machines.”
     And so he did. John was a man of his word. John would see me struggling up the stairwell at times with the hand truck filled with soda. He never minded getting his hands dirty, so there John was, helping me pull the hand truck up the stairs.
     John was not just a boss to his employees; he was also their friend. John would work as hard as they did if not harder. John was an example of God's image. His honesty, loyalty, and just who he was, gave him countless friends.
     I worked on a committee for the Samaritan foundation. I needed help with a fundraiser, so I turned to John Vittas. And without hesitation, John came aboard. He not only got many donations, he raised a lot of money for the Samaritan. John made a speech at an event and begged people to please look for the better in people, give them hope, give them a second chance in life. Tears rolled down his cheeks, those words, “give them a second chance in life,” still remain part of the Samaritan’s tradition. Until his passing, John remained an honorary board member of the Samaritan.
     John, his wife, my husband and myself had many good times and a lot of laughs. That was what John was about: enjoying life, and always doing the right thing. Rest in peace, John.

Love Jayne and Alan Dietl
Heidi Vending Inc.

Dear Geoffrey,

     It was with deep regret that I learnt through FlyingTypers of John Vittas having passed away on February 11.
     John was one of the true gentlemen in our business and his career through American Airlines and WFS was paved with honesty, an intensive devotion for his work along with his respect for all persons and his true friendship.
     He was a devoted family man and my personal condolences go to his wife Wendy and all the family for this great loss.
     We'll never forget his smiling face.

John Mc Donagh
Managing Director
International Aviation Management


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