Astral boosts freighter frequencies amid capacity crunch

Kenya-based Astral Aviation is increasing scheduled flights operating in its intra-Africa network to thirteen destinations, effective May 25, up from ten destinations currently. The additional flights respond to a surge in volumes transiting through Astral’s Nairobi (NBO) hub and the carrier's increased flying between Europe and Africa as passenger flight cancellations related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to drain available bellyhold capacity across most major routes and trade lanes. New scheduled destinations in Africa include Lilongwe (LLW), Lusaka (LUN) and Kismayao (KMU). The increased frequencies are a stark contrast to the early days of the crisis, when Astral saw much of its typical business evaporate almost overnight. Pre-crisis, Astral and its partner, Network Airline Management (NAM), operated eight flights per week between Europe and Africa using 747-400 freighters wet-leased from Air Atlanta Icelandic. Flower exports had previously occupied 60%-70% of the capacity available on outbound flights to Europe, with perishables occupying much of the remaining capacity. In mid-March, as lockdowns begin to hit many parts of Western Europe and the United States, Kenya’s flower exports plunged, and load factors on flights returning to Africa took a dive, prompting a pivot in Astral’s operation. Although load factors on outbound flights from Kenya were buoyed by an increase in perishables exports, volumes out of Europe sagged. “We transitioned to selling return flights from Europe as one-way charters,” said Sanjeev Gadhia, CEO of Astral Aviation. By April, countries across Africa looked to fortify their arsenals of supplies to combat the outbreak, and Astral quickly saw a surge in demand for imports of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies. Many governments in Africa see the price tag for direct China-to-Africa charters as “unrealistic,” said Gadhia, referencing a quote of $1.2 million for a charter flight between Shanghai (PVG) and Johannesburg (JHB). In normal times, such charters would be quoted at under $400,000, Gadhia estimated. Compared to charters, routing cargo through the Middle East or Europe can be a more economical option. Between April and May, Europe-to-Africa flights controlled by Astral increased by 50%, to twelve weekly flights. Although NBO remains operational, the same cannot be said about all 50 destinations in Africa that Astral serves with its charter operations. Without a unified approach to dealing with flight and travel restrictions across the continent, crew quarantine restrictions have complicated operations to certain destinations, said Gadhia. Lagos Airport (LAG), where Astral maintains a crew base to support operations in Western Africa, was all but sealed off since March 23, when the Nigerian government shut down the country’s airports. Cargo that would have been routed directly into Nigeria has instead been diverted to neighboring airports such as Accra (ACC), where crews can transit without mandatory quarantine. There are signs that cargo flows and operations could began to normalize. Nigeria could reopen airports in June. The surge in PPE imports could also decline. “Within two to three months, I expect dependence on China for PPE will decrease,” said Gadhia, noting the increased local production of masks and respirators in Kenya. While much is uncertain about the trajectory of the pandemic, Gadhia remains bullish on the long-term growth prospects for air cargo in the region. “There are very few private cargo carriers for the whole of Africa,” said Gadhia, blaming the complexities of operating across a fragmented regulatory environment. “Still, intra-Africa air cargo continues to grow at a clip of 15% per annum,” he added. Apart from the wet-leased 747-400s, Astral’s intra-Africa fleet comprises of Fokker 27, DC-9 and 727-200 freighters.

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