Air cargo in Durban is on recovery mode

Durban's air cargo business has recovered by around 55% owing to the return of both international and domestic airlines which has seen a 67 percent rebound in network traffic at King Shaka International Airport.

This has led to Dube TradePort Cargo Terminal processing 10,997 tonnes of cargo from April 2022 to date, showing an increase of 31% from the previous year.

"We have always maintained that once we have the airfreight capacity, freight forwarders, and shippers will choose to fly cargo directly into Durban, this positive movement reaffirms our understanding of the KZN (KwaZulu-Natal) air cargo market,” noted Ricardo Isaac, Senior Manager, Cargo Development and Operations at the Dube TradePort Cargo Terminal.

"If you look at the historical trends, between 2015 and 2020, Dube TradePort Cargo Terminal managed to capture over 60% share of the KwaZulu-Natal 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," he added. 

Re-establishing more of Durban's domestic and regional air services remains a priority for both cargo and passenger volumes to grow.

"When Comair exited the market, it left a capacity gap of around 38% for King Shaka International Airport. 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 SAA 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," concluded Isaac.