Belgian airline boasts African cargo loads

Belgian airline boasts African cargo loads    Business from Europe to Africa has proven resilient compared to the downturns in other international air freight markets, said Guy Hardy, Brussels Airlines' head of cargo sales.
   “Compared to other continents like Asia and North America, Africa has been less affected by the economic crisis,” Hardy said in a statement. “We expect the final revenue outcome for 2009 — a year of damage control for the air cargo industry — to be close to our 2008 result, which is remarkable result for northbound and southbound Africa combined.”
   In October, Brussels Airlines reported the second highest monthly volume of cargo and mail traffic in its history. The carrier credits its general sales agent European Cargo Services (ECS) for generating the record 1.047 million kilos of southbound traffic in October, a 97 percent load factor. Brussels Airlines’ previous highest monthly volume — 1.083 million kilos — was achieved in October 2008.
   ECS markets bellyhold cargo capacity on Brussels Airlines’ A330-300 flights to 14 African destinations. In October, the airline completed 103 flights from Brussels into Africa with an average load per flight of 10,169 kilos.
   “The first half of 2010 will continue to be difficult but forecasts for the second half of the year look more promising for both trade and travel,” Hardy said. “As soon as we see signs of a sustained recovery we will be looking to bring additional capacity into our African network by either opening new destinations or increasing frequencies on existing routes.”