Air freight hits 35,000 tonnes

By Dominick Andoh

The Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) has recorded a total air-cargo throughput of 35,500 tonnes for the first three quarters of the year.

The figure is projected to exceed the 50,000 tonnes of freight throughput recorded in 2011 by the end of this year.

Within the last two years, air-cargo throughput has steadily increased -- leading to the realisation of increased cargo profits for the operator, GACL.  In 2010, freight throughput was 35,000 and the figure increased to 50,000 tonnes in 2011.

The GACL earlier this year took over administration of the newly-built Perishable Cargo Centre (PCC) at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), under the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Ghana programme.

The project, which costs US$2.5million, is 1,200 square metres and provides handling and temporary storage for fruit and vegetables for export. It has a workroom of 600 square metres and a 200 square metres cold-room.

The Centre now allows for the transportation of perishable food produce by air to any part of the country and outside it, in a very fresh state.

This has attracted both foreign investments in the export business, specifically for agricultural and horticultural products.

Cargo airline operators are also positioning themselves to take advantage of the booming cargo business.

Air Commodore (rtd) Kwame Mamphey, Director-General of the GCAA, told the B&FT: “Several countries have indicated that they want to have such arrangements with us. I know certainly there are going to be more cargo carriers in 2013.

“We are expecting growth. Turkish Airlines wants to fly dedicated cargo into Accra; Saudia also wants to fly dedicated cargo into Accra. Those that we have bilateral agreement with are prepared to comply with those agreements,” he said.

Perishable fruit and vegetables, cargo operators say, make up about 90 percent of air-cargo exports from the country.

Mr. Michael Maguire, Managing Director of Air Ghana, told the B&FT that “Ghana serves as one of the prime markets in Africa, and we see a tremendous future here”.

Ghana Air, local representatives of Cargolux Airlines International, last week flew its Boeing 747-800 F into the country. The new aircraft can handle 139 tonnes of cargo -- 10 more pallets than a normal cargo plane.  The airline is expected to operate twice-weekly services to and from Accra.

 The Boeing 747-8oo Freighter is the new, high-capacity 747 that offers airlines the lowest operating costs and best economics of any freighter airplane -- while providing enhanced environmental performance.

Read Full Story