Published On | March 09, 2011

MAXIMUS AIR CARGO SEEKS LION'S SHARE OF AFRICAN MARKET

 

  Press Release

Maximus Air Cargo participates in Air Cargo Africa Expo in effort to strengthen its foothold in African air cargo market

 

 

Abu Dhabi, 9th March 2011 - With the first of its three new A300-600RF's set to join the fleet in the next few months, Maximus Air Cargo - the UAE's largest dedicated cargo aircraft operator - is setting its sights on Africa as a region that represents great opportunity for future business growth.

 

The airline has just concluded a very successful participation in Air Cargo Africa 2011, the 1st biennial international air cargo conference and expo at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, where it showcased its heavy lift capacity in a market hailed as the 'New Frontier'.

"With air traffic volumes into Africa set to grow at about 10%, according to IATA, and with long reserves of resources and untapped investment opportunities, local markets in Africa hold strong profit potential," said Fathi Hilal Buhazza, Maximus Air Cargo President and CEO. "The aviation sector in Africa has been steadily expanding over the last few years and the latest projections paint a positive picture for air transfer in Africa as a whole."

Industry experts agreed at the deliberations, which stretched over three days, that the African continent has huge potential because of global demand and its good reputation for perishables, especially in Middle East.

"The UAE itself imports over 160 tonnes of perishables every week which is an indication of regional demand," explained Buhazza. "As a whole, Africa also has a potential for humanitarian relief flights including outsize charters like helicopters, armored vehicles, generators and water tanks, amidst others. There is high demand too for oil well and mining equipment cargo on board.

try{document.write(zawya_banner_zone('zone9337')); }catch(e){} "Currently there is no capacity to move such quantity. Nairobi, in particular, currently exports 2,000 tons of perishables by air per week to Europe which includes cut flowers, fresh vegetables and fresh fish. Only one African country - Kenya - sells 82% of her horticultural exports in EU countries which reflects African export trends. Although, players in this market include major international airlines which fly into Europe via the Middle East, there still continues to remain a need for capacity into Europe," revealed Buhazza.

Maximus Air Cargo 's fleet, which focused on developing the ACMI lease to operators market, is a perfect air freight model for perishable cargo. The massive export of flowers from Ethiopia and Kenya to Europe provides the right opportunity for the cargo aircraft operator to provide profitable solutions for such routings.

"Charters are possible for outsize cargo but necessary with connections from Africa back to the Middle East or Europe," said Joanne McConachy, Maximus' marketing Manager. "We have the flexibility to move time sensitive goods in the most efficient methods because of our regular North African operations."

Maximus also bagged the runners-up award for the inaugural 'International All Cargo Carrier of the Year in Africa' which is a testament of the company's commitment of growth to broaden their global expansion plans.

"Air Cargo Africa was a perfect platform for us discuss the challenges of the regional logistics chain and also be part of a African networking group which will continue to expand on all discussion outcomes," added McConachy.

A part of Abu Dhabi Aviation Group and established in 2005, Maximus Air Cargo has rapidly grown to be a key player providing end to end solutions for a multitude of sectors. Specialising in outsized cargo and ACMI leasing aircraft, its expertise is diverse and it operates varied fleet of eight aircraft, impeccable safety and security standards and an expert team, Maximus has in a short time established itself as the all cargo airline of choice and its figures and plans clearly reflect this success.

 

-Ends-

 

MAXIMUS AIR CARGO
Maximus Air Cargo , an Abu Dhabi Aviation Group company, was established in 2005 to provide tailored solutions for moving outsized cargo. After operating for only just over 6 years in the region, it is now a significant regional air cargo carrier and ACMI lease operator, employing more than 200 staff and operating a fleet of eight all-cargo Antonov An-124-100, Airbus A300-600RF, Ilyushin IL-76TD, and Lockheed Hercules L382G aircraft across the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Maximus currently runs regular scheduled cargo services on behalf of Etihad Crystal Cargo and is the appointed exclusive air relief support partner for the UAE Red Crescent.