AirBridgeCargo sees airfreight demand soar in 2017

AirBridgeCargo (ABC) registered a double-digit percentage improvement in airfreight demand last year as e-commerce, pharma and offsize/heavy freight volumes took off.

In total, the airline saw demand increase by 13% year on year to breach 700,000 tonnes, while freight tonne kms were up by 10% and its load factor increased by 4% to 71%.

The carrier said the improvement in freight volumes was down to the growth of its fleet, new destinations and the expansion of existing routes, while it had also introduced new solutions for special cargoes.

ABC general director Sergey Lazarev said: “In 2017 we concentrated our efforts on the development of special cargo transportation, fine-tuning our internal procedures and processes, aligning our organisation structure and going on the path of digitalisation, steps which boosted our volumes of special commodities.

"Temperature pharma [headed] the list (+150%), followed by off-size & heavy (+33%), and e-commerce (+26%).

"We have also initiated a number of projects aimed at ameliorating service quality – including the introduction of our new control tower to monitor consignments of special cargoes and to proactively respond to service disruptions if any, Envirotainer QEP certification for ABC stations, co-operation with Sky Fresh for automated notifications, and other industry-related initiatives with tech-savvy solutions which helped to sharpen ABC’s performance.

"Our commitment to continuous improvement and strong customer relationships will continue to serve as a pillar for ABC’s development in 2018 and beyond.”

Looking ahead, the airline said it would continue to invest in its special cargo and digital solutions.

The development of its digital offering would be "based on partnership with forward-thinking trustworthy companies, optimisation of internal processes and organisational structure, and customised solutions for certain industries, notably the pharmaceutical, aerospace and oil and gas sector".

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