“Africa,
a continent with 54 countries and more than 200 languages, has tremendous
potential and is a very important market,” Qatar Airways Cargo Chief
Cargo Officer Uli Ogiermann told FlyingTypers.
“Air freight in this continent has been growing year-on-year and we
have seen some solutions to several challenges that previously impeded the
continent’s export-import trade.
“Improvements include: liberalization of air traffic to stimulate
the economy and further increase the demand for air cargo; expedited customs
clearance processes including customs rules and regulations; competitive
production costs; skilled labor; better infrastructure; and improvements
in ground transportation.”
Aerial
Pathways To Glory
“The
air cargo industry in Africa has a great future thanks to its youthful
demographic and rising e-commerce demand.
“However,” Uli cautions, “infrastructure
and regulatory challenges remain in many countries across the continent.
“Despite this, air cargo is making
a positive contribution to the economy in Africa through job creation,
economic development, and the global distribution of the continent’s
products.”
Words About
Qatar Airways
“Qatar Airways Cargo offers a selection
of products and solutions that are ideal for the region, such as QR Pharma
for pharmaceuticals and healthcare products, QR Fresh for perishables,
and QR Live for the transportation of live animals.
“We continue to focus on launching
new products and enhancing our existing products such as QR Mail, which
addresses the rising e-commerce segment, and QR Express, which offers
industry-leading rapid delivery for time-critical shipments,” Uli
Ogiermann said.
Where Aircraft
Meet Demand
“There is also growing demand in
the charter business, especially in the fields of construction, oil and
gas, and livestock.
“To absorb this increasing demand,
Qatar Airways Cargo is almost doubling its charter flights year-on-year
as its freighter fleet grows,” Uli insists.
Africa Back
To The Future
“Trade in Africa varies from one
country to another,” Uli said, adding:
“Kenya and South Africa, where the
enhanced infrastructure helps boost business import and export trade,
are the largest airfreight markets.
“We also see huge flower exports
out of Kenya, especially in the months leading up to Valentine’s
Day and Mother’s Day, when the export of cut flowers rises tremendously.
“That being said, there are significant
imports and exports to other destinations in Africa.
“Perishables form the majority of
our exports from Africa, and in 2016 we shipped more than 43,000 tons
of perishable cargo alone out of Africa.
“In total, we offer more than 2,300
tonnes a week of combined belly and freighter capacity to and from the
African continent.”
The Offering
“Qatar Airways Cargo operates freighters
to seven destinations in Africa and offers belly-hold cargo space to more
than 25 destinations in the African continent.
“Our rapid expansion in the continent
is also due to our continued investment in the expansion of our fleet.
“We expect to receive more aircraft
this year, expanding from 20 to a total of 22 freighters by 2017, demonstrating
our unwavering commitment to developing one of the strongest air cargo
fleets in the skies.”
I
grew up in Toledo, Ohio, about 60 miles from Detroit, the city where
all the cars were built. Some of my family even worked in
the automobile business; one of the oft-repeated remarks when a
car broke down (which was fairly common during the early years)
was “Get A Horse!”
Of course, horses were the heavy
haulers of goods and families until the internal combustion engine
came along and was finally perfected during the 1940s, after which
horses gradually faded from the transportation scene.
Although they are still used today
by mounted police and, in a highly developed state, as thoroughbred
racers, horses in the modern world no longer rule.
We were thinking about horses the
other day as Qatar Cargo moved 50 thoroughbreds to Eppley Field
in Omaha, Nebraska for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping
and FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals.
“We pride ourselves in providing
the highest standard of service for our equine guests, on the ground
and in the air in line with IATA’s Live Animal Regulations,”
Uli assures.
The Boeing 777 freighter provided
a comfortable journey with an ambient temperature of 12-15 degrees
celsius in the horse stalls and 11 grooms tending to every need.
In Doha, Qatar, Airways Cargo’s
Live Animal Facility offers an equally sophisticated environment
with air-conditioned holding stalls, a paddock, and on-site veterinary
personnel.
In 2016-17, Qatar Airways Cargo transported
over 2,300 horses, a 10 percent increase over 2015-16.
So into the gateway to the West,
Qatar Airways “got a horse.” From all reports, the animals
jumped for joy once in Omaha.
Geoffrey |
Key Focus
“Accra in West Africa and Cairo
in North Africa are a key focus for Qatar Airways Cargo.
“We operate sixteen passenger flights
to Cairo each week, offering 208 tons of belly hold cargo capacity to
and from Cairo.
“Qatar Airways Cargo also operates
twice-weekly Airbus A330 freighters to Accra, providing more than 120
tonnes of cargo capacity into and out of West Africa.”
Next Up
“We will be launching passenger
destinations Libreville and Douala in West Africa in 2017/18, offering
belly-hold cargo space to and from these important African cities.”
How To Win
In Africa
“Poor infrastructure and communication
challenges,” Uli said, “increase the operating cost and make
it difficult to compete in the continent.
“Rapid advances in technology will
give a significant boost to Africa’s business growth, but much work
needs to be done by both African companies and governments to translate
opportunities into tangible economic benefits.
“The lack of a true ‘open sky’
policy in some markets makes it difficult to penetrate local businesses
and provide competition for established legacy carriers.
“Only when these barriers are broken
will we witness Africa grow to its full potential,” Uli Ogiermann
said.
SkyKing
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