Air cargo feels the heat

London and Madrid hubs
Though abandoning freighters will constrain options for network development, IAG Cargo leverages its dual-hub proposition to maximise connectivity. Cargo is funnelled from Africa and elsewhere into BA’s London base and Iberia’s Madrid base, before being re-distributed on both carriers’ passenger flights.

Iberia specialises in South American flows, while BA focuses on Asian and North American traffic. The two subsidiaries collectively serve more than 350 global destinations, presenting export opportunities for African businesses that local airlines struggle to match.

Perishable freight is the dominant cargo type originating in Africa, Snell says. “From southern Africa we tend to ship fruit and fish – lychees, grapes, blueberries, raspberries,” he notes. “From East Africa it tends to be more vegetables and flowers. And from West Africa, processed fruit and chopped fruit.”

This category of freight is relatively easy to transport, requiring none of the temperature control facilities that pharmaceuticals demand. “It needs to be kept chilled rather than very cold, and then the speed of delivery means that the cool chain is preserved in London,” Snell says.

The air conditioning on board the A380 maintains temperatures to 1°C accuracy across its five freight pallets – adequate for perishables and AVI (live animals). IAG is also the first carrier in the world to have its A380s certified for a maximum take-off weight 12 tonnes heavier than other operators.

Logistically, the infrastructure challenges that IATA highlights in Africa largely befall freight forwarding affiliates, rather than cargo operators themselves. Forwarding partners like Morgan Freight and Lonrho “act as the middle men in the chain,” Snell says, adding, “They manage the logistics of delivering into us, and then the logistics at the other end as well.”

Such partnerships mean that IAG Cargo has only limited contact with end customers despite the fact that 75% of the fresh produce it transports through Johannesburg is destined for the UK and Ireland. Moreover, on the African side, collaboration with local airlines and logistics firms is broadening IAG’s access beyond destinations currently served by its passenger fleet.

The airline already calls on airline partners such as Kenya Airways, Air Uganda and DHL to fly goods into Nairobi and Entebbe, from where they can then be loaded onto BA aircraft. “We’re keen to develop every market as best we can,” Snell emphasises. “In East Africa, we’re setting up flows from Juba; we’re looking at setting up flows from Addis Ababa.” Other stations such as Bujumbura and Kigali – “places we don’t actually fly, but where we can use relationships with other carriers” – are also being investigated.