Dube TradePort, which is responsible for the Dube Cargo Terminal at Durban’s King Shaka International Airport, in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, has reported a strong recovery in its air cargo business over the period from April last year, to now, compared with the equivalent period in the previous year. The recovery was attributed to the restoration of scheduled operations to the airport by both domestic and international airlines. The number of such scheduled flights increased in 2022, year-on-year, by 67%.

“When Comair exited the market, it left a capacity gap of around 38% for King Shaka International Airport,” pointed out Dube TradePort Cargo Terminal senior manager: cargo development and operations Ricardo Isaac. “Fortunately, operators like FlySafair, Airlink, CemAir and Lift have come in to fill the void on the domestic routes adding much-needed capacity. The resumption of [South African Airways] on the route also contributed to available capacity. While on the regional front Airlink successfully relaunched the Durban-Harare route last year, as we go into the second quarter of 2023, we are working with ProFlight Zambia to re-establish the Durban-Lusaka route.”

The result was a 55% recovery in the Cargo Terminal’s business, year-on-year. Volumes rose by 31%, to reach 10 997 t.

“We have always maintained that once we have the airfreight capacity, freight forwarders and shippers will choose to fly cargo directly into Durban, [so] this positive movement reaffirms our understanding of the KZN air cargo market,” he affirmed. “If you look at the historical trends, between 2015 and 2020, Dube TradePort Cargo Terminal managed to capture over [a] 60% share of the [KZN] air cargo market effectively doubling cargo volumes being processed through Durban, which was a direct result of increasing airfreight capacity with the introduction of new passenger services.”