A cargo plane belonging to Saudi Airlines Cargo. (Photo: Saudi Airlines Cargo)

Nordic seafood trade growth demands better air freight service

NORWAY
Friday, April 20, 2018, 00:40 (GMT + 9)

Freighter service firm Saudia Airlines Cargo is considering launching services to the Nordic area given the continued growth of seafood volumes in the region.

To this end, the freighter company is holding meetings over the coming days with potential customers regarding the possibility of the service, Air Cargo News reported.

Speaking at the Nordic Air Cargo Symposium in Stockholm, airline’s regional director Europe Rainer Muller explained that any service would likely begin in the Middle East, call in central Europe, then Oslo before heading to New York.

Muller points out that the calls in central Europe and Saudi Arabia would help offset the fact that very few imports into Oslo are carried on freighters by offering the chance to transport goods from Saudi Arabia and central Europe to New York, with the rest of the freighter available for seafood.

“We understand that this [service] is something that cannot just be based on fish. We have to generate a certain revenue on the flight and this is why we will look at a shared operation coming from central Europe with a certain amount of cargo and then combining it with the fish from Oslo,” Muller said.

However, experts in the field consider that it could be a while before the service is launched. Ahead of any potential new operation the airline will finalise a feasibility study, agree on detailed handling and operational processes, establish a 24/7 communication system, develop pre-agreed back-up solutions, define the potential day of operation and operate a test flight.

At this stage, Muller did not reveal which aircraft would be used from its fleet of 17 freighters.

According to the Norwegian Seafood Council, salmon volumes increased by 2.8 per cent last year, but long-haul destinations, which require airfreight, tended to record strong growth while exports to the European Union, which can be trucked, saw a decrease.

In this regard, Marine Harvest head of airfreight Tom Erling Mikkelsen said one challenge presented by the rapid growth was finding enough capacity to meet demand. Like many sectors, seafood suffered from a lack of air cargo space during last year’s peak season, he said.

Demand projections for the long term are also positive. Airport operator Avinor’s director of cargo, Martin Langaas, pointed to statistics from the United Nations that showed the Norwegian market for seafood exports alone is expected to grow by 500 per cent within the next 20-30 years.

Last year, Oslo Airport saw volumes rise by 35 per cent year on year to 185,000 tonnes, fuelled by seafood exports. To meet the demand, Oslo Airport is developing a new seafood centre and Langaas gave an update on the project.
 

editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media

Print