Durban’s international cargo volumes are up by almost 14% after a record-breaking November‚ port officials announced on Thursday.
The increased airfreight volumes come on the back of the highest ever recorded cargo throughput during October and November last year‚ which exceeded the 1‚700 tonne mark per month for the first time.
The company said the 13.7% growth has been primarily driven by the introduction of additional wide-bodied passenger flights – which have a capacity for up to 20% of commercial cargo depending on their size – into Durban as well as the increased frequency of chartered aircraft using Durban’s King Shaka International Airport.
“Investment in a new specialised outsized cargo-handling facility has significantly contributed to our ability to handle bulky shipments‚ such as large pipes‚ machinery‚ vehicles‚ large animals and even ocean-going 20-foot containers‚” said Dube Cargo Terminal executive Mlibo Bantwini.
“This infrastructure‚ as well as the systems that we have in place‚ has enabled our supply-chain specialists to respond quickly to the needs of our freight forwarders by providing them with a reliable and competitive solution for their charters flying into Durban.”
The latest chartered aircraft handled by Dube Cargo Terminal was a Boeing 747-400ERF freighter‚ operated by AirBridgeCargo Airlines‚ which had a payload of 30 tonnes of heavy duty marine hoses.
Dube Cargo Terminal has shown a positive trend over the last seven years since the airport opened in 2010‚ with cargo volumes having grown by 138%. Cargo volumes have been forecast to grow by up to 12% by the close of the 2017/18 financial year.
Further growth is anticipated at Durban’s King Shaka International Airport after Qatar Airways announced its intentions to increase its capacity on the Durban-Doha route with the introduction of the larger Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from March 28. This is expected to add 416 weekly seats on its four times weekly schedule‚ while also increasing the weekly cargo capacity on the route by 15-23 tonnes per flight.
In October‚ Air Mauritius increased its frequency to three flights per week on its Durban-Port Louis route while the peak season of December and January spurred Emirates to increase its frequency on the Durban-Dubai route.
Cargo volumes soaring at Dube Trade Port
Durban’s international cargo volumes are up by almost 14% after a record-breaking November‚ port officials announced on Thursday.
The increased airfreight volumes come on the back of the highest ever recorded cargo throughput during October and November last year‚ which exceeded the 1‚700 tonne mark per month for the first time.
The company said the 13.7% growth has been primarily driven by the introduction of additional wide-bodied passenger flights – which have a capacity for up to 20% of commercial cargo depending on their size – into Durban as well as the increased frequency of chartered aircraft using Durban’s King Shaka International Airport.
“Investment in a new specialised outsized cargo-handling facility has significantly contributed to our ability to handle bulky shipments‚ such as large pipes‚ machinery‚ vehicles‚ large animals and even ocean-going 20-foot containers‚” said Dube Cargo Terminal executive Mlibo Bantwini.
“This infrastructure‚ as well as the systems that we have in place‚ has enabled our supply-chain specialists to respond quickly to the needs of our freight forwarders by providing them with a reliable and competitive solution for their charters flying into Durban.”
The latest chartered aircraft handled by Dube Cargo Terminal was a Boeing 747-400ERF freighter‚ operated by AirBridgeCargo Airlines‚ which had a payload of 30 tonnes of heavy duty marine hoses.
Dube Cargo Terminal has shown a positive trend over the last seven years since the airport opened in 2010‚ with cargo volumes having grown by 138%. Cargo volumes have been forecast to grow by up to 12% by the close of the 2017/18 financial year.
Further growth is anticipated at Durban’s King Shaka International Airport after Qatar Airways announced its intentions to increase its capacity on the Durban-Doha route with the introduction of the larger Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from March 28. This is expected to add 416 weekly seats on its four times weekly schedule‚ while also increasing the weekly cargo capacity on the route by 15-23 tonnes per flight.
In October‚ Air Mauritius increased its frequency to three flights per week on its Durban-Port Louis route while the peak season of December and January spurred Emirates to increase its frequency on the Durban-Dubai route.
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