The State-owned Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is to step up its activities to stimulate air cargo traffic growth, particularly at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA).

This will be achieved through various initiatives and infrastructure developments that will reduce congestion and increase warehouse volume in both the short and long terms. These developments are under way against the backdrop of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“Aviation, and specifically air cargo, has the potential to be a significant driver of socioeconomic growth and development across the African continent, as air freight creates huge economic value for an airport’s region or country, enabling local trade and attracting new high-value industries,” highlights ACSA group executive: operations management Terence Delomoney.

“Air cargo, which allows the transport of goods quickly by air, is a big trade enabler and could potentially drive economic recovery across the region because the global economy is dependent on the ability to move goods quickly and at competitive prices.”

A key element of ACSA’s programme is the building of a mid-airfield cargo terminal at ORTIA. ACSA sees this as absolutely essential to meet the very fast-growing demand for air cargo capacity from businesses in Gauteng province, still the country’s economic heartland. ORTIA’s location is roughly in the centre of the province.

“While air cargo across the continent, including South Africa, has not yet taken off to the extent that it should have, a concerted effort by all stakeholders to improve the air freight sector will ensure that exporters and importers have viable options to deliver high-value goods quickly and efficiently,” he affirms.

“There is little doubt that the AfCFTA has vastly improved African trade and growth prospects. This comes at a time when there is a growing realisation amongst African nations that gross domestic product growth on the continent will need to be fuelled by increased trade between countries on the continent. But to boost Africa’s air cargo efficiency, airport management companies on the continent will need to start investing in the necessary infrastructure, ultimately improving airport facilities, expanding cargo terminals, and upgrading air traffic control systems.”

He urges airport companies to consult with the air cargo sector, to determine the specific types of infrastructure that air cargo operations require. There will be no point in developing infrastructure that does not meet the needs of the sector.

“Our ambition remains for air cargo to attract international air transport companies to choose [ORTIA] or one of the other ACSA airports as a hub for their international and regional operations,” he states. ORTIA is Africa’s busiest airport, with an average of 251 flights every day, to both international and domestic destinations. It has two passenger terminals. Its busiest route is to Cape Town, with an average of 300 flights each week, or 17% of all weekly departures.