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Transport News

TNPA's ship repair facilities operating at 100% capacity

By: Simone Liedtke 13th May 2020 Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA’s) ship repair facilities are operating at 100% capacity following the easing of the lockdown restrictions to Level 4. Operations will be guided by the agents’ docking schedules in the respective ports, the ports authority said in a statement on May 12. →

DoT unveils plans for new auto terminal at Durban, branch line concessioning

By: Irma Venter 12th May 2020 The Department of Transport (DoT) intends to take over the functioning of struggling integrated public transport networks (IPTNs) in five cities, with six cities currently operating these systems, says Department of Transport director-general Alec Moemi. IPTNs should, ideally, incorporate bus... →

SAB permitted to move stock between facilities

By: Donna Slater 12th May 2020 As of May 11, the South African Breweries (SAB) is permitted to move its stock of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks between its manufacturing plants and its depots, after reaching an agreement with government. Prior to this agreement, no alcohol was permitted to be moved, either by individuals... →

Road-freight platform Saloodo! launches in Mozambique

By: Irma Venter 11th May 2020 Digital road-freight platform Saloodo! has launched its digital logistics platform for shippers and transport providers in Mozambique, in a move the company hopes will further expand its digital road-freight solution in Africa. Saloodo! is a subsidiary of DHL Global Forwarding, which is a... →

Tobias Maier

SAA rescue team to appeal court ruling on layoffs

By: Reuters 11th May 2020 Administrators trying save South African Airways will appeal a court ruling that ordered them to halt a layoff process, one of the administrators Siviwe Dongwana told Reuters. The Labour Court's decision to side with two trade unions in its judgment on Friday was a major blow to the... →

SAA to continue operating repatriation and cargo flights

By: Rebecca Campbell 8th May 2020 State-owned national flag carrier South African Airways (SAA) has assured that it had no plans to stop operating on May 8. It would continue to honour all its current commitments to provide air transport services to its customers, as well as any other requests that it might receive. It continued... →

Rolls-Royce highlights Covid-19 impact on its civil aerospace business

By: Rebecca Campbell 8th May 2020 UK-based industrial technology group Rolls-Royce has warned that the scale of the disruption to the civil aerospace sector caused by the Covid-19 pandemic (and the measures taken by many countries to counter it) would result in a smaller market in that sector, which would take several years to... →

Five things public transport can do to help flatten the curve

By: Irma Venter 8th May 2020 Public transport has emerged as a central concern in the fight against the transmission of Covid-19, says University of Pretoria Centre for Transport Development’s Christo Venter. Vehicles and transport hubs are ideal places for infections to spread, leading to the shutdown of transport services... →

Christo Venter

New infrastructure creates opportunities for demolition, decontamination

By: Cameron Mackay 8th May 2020 The development of new infrastructure, particularly in the expanding local mining sector, has created opportunities for demolition solutions provider Jet Demolition to be involved in sectional demolition and decontamination projects, particularly those involving radiological decontamination.... →

ION-OPENING EXPERIENCING Radiological decontamination and demolition projects can involve a range of procedures, including radiological scanning and testing of scrap metal after ultra-high pressure washing

Theranostics can play a role in nuclear medicine

By: Cameron Mackay 8th May 2020 The development and use of theranostics with nuclear medicine provides ample opportunity for nuclear medicine and molecular imaging to become more familiar to the public, and can help grow the local nuclear medicine industry, says South African Society of Nuclear Medicine president Moshe... →

SAFARI-1 FACILITY The facility conducts clinical trials with, and produces, radiopharmaceuticals or radioisotopes, such as key medical radioisotopes like molybdenum-99 and iodine-131

PRASA turnaround under way despite delays

By: Simone Liedtke 7th May 2020 The turnaround of State-owned Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is on track, albeit with delays, in part owing to the situation brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, administrator Bongisizwe Mpondo has revealed. In a webinar on May 7, he lamented that the passenger rail agency had... →

Union warns of possibility of legal action regarding Comair business rescue

By: Rebecca Campbell 7th May 2020 Trade union UASA has expressed concerned at the news that local private-sector airline group Comair had applied for business rescue. The airline operated the British Airways in South Africa brand and the Kulula low cost carrier brand. The airline group stated it had done so because the halt in... →

PRASA operations to resume under lockdown Level 3

By: Simone Liedtke 7th May 2020 The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (PRASA’s) operations are set to resume under Lockdown Alert Level 3, administrator Bongisizwe Mpondo confirmed in a webinar on May 7. The passenger rail agency terminated all services during the initial lockdown period (Level 5), and has continued to do... →

Airline and tourism bodies call for international support for African travel and tourism sector

By: Rebecca Campbell 7th May 2020 International financial institutions, international donors and country development partners have been urged to act to support Africa’s travel and tourism industry. This appeal has been made jointly by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the World Travel and Tourism Council... →

Photo by Umlani Bushcamp
Umlani Bushcamp game tracker Abed Ndlovu with elephant, Limpopo province, South Africa

Ethiopian Airlines ready to be saviour to fellow African carriers

By: , Bloomberg 6th May 2020 Ethiopian Airlines Group is prepared to come to the rescue of stricken carriers around Africa, even as the continent’s biggest airline deals with its own mounting losses and grounded planes due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Talks are underway with the government of Mauritius about the revival of the... →

Global airline body proposes measures to allow safe resumption of air travel

By: Rebecca Campbell 6th May 2020 The global representative body for the airline industry, the International Air Transport Association (Iata), has highlighted that, to date, the evidence suggested that the risk of passengers infected with Covid-19 passing the disease on to other passengers in an airliner was low. This was the... →

Bestfly secures long-term contract for Angola oil, gas shuttle services

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 6th May 2020 Angolan fixed wing and rotary aircraft operator Bestfly has secured a three-year contract to support oil and gas company ExxonMobil’s requirements to ferry staff from Luanda to its main oil logistics base at Soyo. The contract includes the option of a two-year extension. →

The Bestfly ATR 72-600 used for the long term oil and gas contract

Comair files for business rescue

By: Rebecca Campbell 5th May 2020 South African private-sector airline group Comair announced on May 5 that it was going into business rescue. This was to protect the company’s interests and those of its stakeholders. Comair operated the British Airways in South Africa and Kulula low cost carrier brands. This was a consequence of... →

Bidvest's acquisition of Eqstra terminated

By: Donna Slater 5th May 2020 The proposed acquisition by Bidvest of enX's interest in fleet management and logistics business Eqstra Fleet Management and Logistics has been terminated. enX shareholders had approved the divestment on November 29, 2019, but subsequently the final outstanding condition precedent in relation to... →

Resgen enters into debt deal to fund rail link for Boikarabelo

By: Donna Slater 5th May 2020 JSE-listed energy resources company Resource Generation (Resgen) reports that its subsidiary, Ledjadja Coal has entered into nonbinding equity and debt term sheets with Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund 2 SA (PAIDF2SA) and Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund 2 limited liability... →

Global airline and postal agencies urge governments to act to keep air mail flowing

By: Rebecca Campbell 4th May 2020 The International Air Transport Association (Iata) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) have jointly highlighted that current air capacity for post and parcels was inadequate. They called on governments around the world to act to enable the despatch of mail by air. Because of the severe travel... →

Airbus announces modification to allow airlines to take cargo on their passenger decks

By: Rebecca Campbell 4th May 2020 Europe-based global major aerospace group Airbus has announced that it has developed a modification that allows its A330-family and A350-family widebody airliners to safely carry cargo pallets on their passenger decks, in place of seats. The pallets can be secured to the cabin floor seat tracks,... →

Photo by Airbus
Cargo pallets locked on to cabin floor seat tracks on an Airbus airliner

Bridge Taxi Finance raises funds to support taxi industry, imports 650 ambulances

By: Donna Slater 4th May 2020 Minibus taxi financier Bridge Taxi Finance has raised more than R280-million as part of a R1-billion fundraising programme to enable it to continue to finance taxis for use by the South African taxi industry. Bridge Taxi Finance provides credit facilities to South African entrepreneurs in the... →

Gautrain reopens with disinfectant spray booths, regular sanitising

By: Irma Venter 4th May 2020 The Gautrain resumed service, albeit limited, on May 4, following the suspension of all services at the end of March owing to the national Covid-19 lockdown. Trains will operate daily between 05h30 to 09h30 and 15h00 to 19h00. →

Gautrain acting COO Tshepo Kgobe on the operations of the Gautrain as from May 4

SAA says government exploring funding options

By: , Bloomberg 4th May 2020 South African Airways’ (SAA's) administrators extended a deadline for workers to agree to severance packages after Minister for Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan said he needs time to explore funding options for the bankrupt state-owned carrier. The business-rescue team led by Les Matuson and... →

Iata urges governments to keep air cargo flowing

By: Rebecca Campbell 1st May 2020 The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has called for greater coordination between governments to ensure that air freight continues to flow during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Air cargo operations continue to be hampered by permit approval delays, lack of ground support and... →

World’s airline and shipping sectors appeal to govts regarding flights for seafarers

By: Rebecca Campbell 1st May 2020 A joint appeal has been issued to governments by the International Air Transport Association (Iata) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) for urgent steps to be taken to enable crew change flights for seafarers. As with commercial aviation aircrews, although on different timescales,... →

Global airline and airports associations call for urgent government support for the sector

By: Rebecca Campbell 30th April 2020 The International Air Transport Association (Iata) – the representative body for the global airline industry – and Airports Council International (ACI) – which represented the world’s airports – issued a joint appeal to governments on April 30 to rapidly provide financial support to airlines and... →

Blue Train suspends operation until end June, offers ticket deferral options

By: Donna Slater 30th April 2020 Luxury train service, The Blue Train, is extending its current suspension of services, which were supposed to resume on April 30, to June 30, amid the nationwide lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Blue Train decided on the further suspension after a further analysis of the... →

Comair warns that it is in a very difficult financial position thanks to lockdown

By: Rebecca Campbell 30th April 2020 South African private-sector airline group Comair issued a cautionary statement on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s Stock Exchange News Service (SENS) on April 30, warning about the impact on its business of the national lockdown and halt to all scheduled air services to, from and within South... →

Photo by Comair
A Comair Boeing 737-400, in the colours of British Airways

Boeing reports significant impacts on business from Covid-19

By: Rebecca Campbell 30th April 2020 US aerospace and defence giant Boeing has reported that its revenues for the first quarter this year (1Q20) were 26% lower than in the same period last year (1Q19). The 1Q20 revenues were just under $16.91-billion as against the 1Q19 figure of just under $22.92-billion. Using Generally Accepted... →

Photo by Creamer Media
A Boeing 777 in the colours of Angolan airline TAAG

Coronavirus causes logistics and supply chain nightmares for industry

By: Simone Liedtke 30th April 2020 A 10.6% decline in March alone for total freight volumes is considered the most significant monthly decline that the company has on record, which goes back to January 2008, vehicle tracking company Ctrack has found. For the year to March, however, there was a reduction of 7.1% in total freight... →

TMH's Ivolga trains equipped to help curb spread of Covid-19

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 30th April 2020 The technical solutions implemented in Ivolga passenger trains, made in Russia by rail and urban transport manufacturer Transmashholding (TMH), are helping to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and other infections. All Ivolga passenger electric trains feature a heating, ventilation, and air... →

TMH Ivolga Passenger Train

WEF launches blockchain supply chain toolkit

By: Schalk Burger 29th April 2020 The World Economic Forum (WEF) has launched a comprehensive toolkit to accelerate the use of responsible blockchain by leaders to tackle supply chain failures exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Resilience of supply chains depends on transparency and integrity, which can be improved through the... →

Airbus reports first quarter results hit by Covid-19 pandemic

By: Rebecca Campbell 29th April 2020 Europe-based global giant aerospace group Airbus has reported a consolidated net loss of €481-million for the first quarter of this year (1Q20), in sharp contrast to its net income of €40-million during the same period last year (1Q19). The consolidated reported loss per share was €0.61 in 1Q20,... →

Unctad calls for policies to ease trade, transport restrictions

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th April 2020 Intergovernmental entity, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), has published a ten-point action plan to ease trade and transport constraints amid the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Unctad wants to help enable the free flow of goods, food and essential supplies. →

Air cargo demand dropped sharply in March, except in Africa; capacity down even more

By: Rebecca Campbell 29th April 2020 Worldwide air cargo demand fell sharply in March, but air cargo capacity fell even more, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) reported on April 28. But the demand for air cargo for pharmaceuticals increased by about 100%. (Iata defines air cargo as being freight plus mail.) These... →

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