Tiaca: "Africa must act - now!"
The international air cargo association has raised its concern on the air cargo sector in Africa, which has experienced a drop in capacity to Europe by 70% compared to 2019 according to Clive Data Services.
Sanjeev Gadhia, Tiaca vice chairman and CEO of the Kenyan cargo carrier Astral Aviation, says that this development has resulted in a capacity crisis in Nairobi for its perishables exports to Europe from 5,000 t to 1,800 t per week, which will have disastrous effects on the national agriculture sector.
African airlines should respond to capacity requirements immediately, in particular by putting passenger freighter systems in place, such as those implemented by airlines like Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, SAA and Rwandair.
Air cargo communities should formulate a recovery plan and authorities take immediate measures to support the aviation sector and the economy. (ah)