Airports Company South Africa, owner and manager of South Africa’s nine principal airports has signed a cooperation agreement with Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding during the Air Cargo Africa Conference and Exhibition for 2015.
The new partnership will expand the international air cargo market, elevating both Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany and O.R Tambo International airport’s status in the air transportation industry.
Signing of the agreement follows the recent creation of a cargo management division at O.R Tambo International airport, with the strategic partnership to involve the exchange of information along with cooperation in the field of customer acquisition.
“This strategic partnership will provide industry-leading guidance in developing the company’s cargo business model and approach,” said Tebogo Mekgoe, COO of Airports Company South Africa.
O.R Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg is the largest cargo hub on the African continent.
“Given the centrality of air cargo to, especially, the automotive, electronics, telecommunications and perishable industries, an active exchange of experiences and analyses of potential will develop the capacity and reach of both airport management companies,” said Markus Kopp, CEO of Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG.
Mitteldeutsche Airport holding currently has existing cooperation agreements with four Asian, and two North American airports, though the recent agreement marks the first such agreement on the African continent.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal is home to two of Africa's major seaports, Durban - Africa's busiest port and leading Southern Hemisphere container terminal – and Richards Bay – South Africa's largest deep-water harbour and primary bulk commodities handling facility. It is now home to the developing Dube TradePort project, the pulsing heart of a budding aerotropolis developing around Durban's new King Shaka International Airport.
The new development strategy will grow the regional tourism economy and increase the number of international tourists by 2030. Hosting World Routes 2015 will assist the improvement of air services potential out of King Shaka International Airport, in order to grow passenger and cargo airlift, assisted by the trade gateway operations of the two seaports.
World Routes will also be a huge benefit to the region, with the growing aviation market in Africa which has significant potential.
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