AIFA increases Seminole order as student numbers grow

South Africa's AVIC International Flight Training Academy (AIFA) at George has been stepping up its fleet as it has welcomed an increasingly international cohort of students from Asia and across Africa.

The academy has acquired seven Piper PA44-180 Seminoles with glass cockpit configuration, to enhance its multi-engine flight training programme.
The school took two Seminoles in October but has stepped up its order.
The first four are equipped with Garmin 500 cockpits, and the remainder with Garmin 1000.
In January AIFA took delivery of eight new Cessna 172's at its Lanseria facility. This brings the number of new 172's they have had delivered up to 19
"The Seminole comes with a long history and excellent track record, and the 180hp engines make it a dynamic machine which needs to be well mastered," said director Willem Marais. “We operate at sea level and lower temperatures from our base at George and the aircraft gives us an excellent service," he said

DHL named Africa's top international freight forwarder

DHL Global Forwarding scooped the award for Africa's International Freight Forwarder of the Year for the 3rd time. In a ceremony at the Air Cargo Africa event in South Africa yesterday.

Roger Olsson, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Sub Saharan Africa, who received the award, said: “DHL offers tailor-made solutions to businesses in Africa and it’s a service that’s second to none. It’s a tribute to DHL’s strong African team that their dedication to excellence in international freight forwarding has been recognised yet again. DHL has been supporting the business in Africa for more than 35 years now but what’s most important is that we have continued to anticipate, adapt and create services that clearly meet Africa’s fast evolving business needs and help fulfill its vast potential.”

According to the 2014 year-end report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), trade activity across the African region remained positive despite major economies Nigeria and South Africa underperforming for parts of 2014. Regional growth supported demand for air freight and capacity rose just 0.9% for the year as a whole, helping to strengthen load factors. 

African carriers’ freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) grew by 12.2% in December and 6.7% for the year as a whole. Globally, the air cargo business is growing again after several years of stagnation with demand growth up 4.5% compared to 2013 measured by freight FTKs.

DHL Global Forwarding was recognized for being the leading service provider in the region’s air freight industry. With a focus on the Oil and Gas and the Mining sectors in the past few years, DHL’s freight management team has been very successful in developing customized solutions for customers in these sectors. “We also saw significant volume growth in Africa in both its regular and charter operations connecting all regions with Africa for the Oil and Gas and the Mining sectors. In addition, the India-Africa and China-Africa lanes are growing strongly, driven mainly by the life sciences, pharmaceutical and high tech sectors,” Olsson said.

O.R. Tambo is Africa's cargo airport of the year

O.R. Tambo International Airport walked away with the title “African Airport of the year” at an awards ceremony held as part of Air Cargo Africa 2015 in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg yesterday evening.

“We are especially proud as this is the second time in a row that our airport has been bestowed with this accolade,” said Ms Bongiwe Pityi, the General Manager of O.R. Tambo International Airport.
“Together with our excellent location, accessibility and connectivity, O.R. Tambo International also has great and reliable infrastructure. We also collaborate well with the relevant stakeholders to continue providing efficient service to our cargo customers,” he said
The African Airport of the year award comes hot on the heels of Airports Company South Africa’s signing of a cargo management cooperation agreement with Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding of Leipzig/Halle Airport. The agreement, signed at the Air Cargo Afirca event, will expand international air cargo market opportunities, elevating both airports’ status in the air transportation industry. The strategic partnership will involve the exchange of information and individual expertise along with cooperation in customer acquisition.
O.R. Tambo International Airport services over 50 airlines to approximately 100 destinations, locally, regionally and internationally. The airport is the largest cargo airport in Africa and boasting capacity of 390 000 tons per year.