SAA Cargo poised to grow Lagos market, rewards agents

South African Airways is strongly addressing future demand for Lagos and exploring options to increase frequency as soon as it has additional aircraft with increased cargo and scheduled passenger flight demands.

The airline’s cargo according to Manager of SAA Cargo, Kekeletso Mokwena is growing its capacity and strategic expansion across key markets, offering extensive freight capacity to various destinations in West Africa, as well as long-haul routes from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Brazil and Australia, operated by the Airbus A330-330 wide-body aircraft, with a cargo capacity of up to 15 tonnes.  For domestic and regional operations, the airline utilises the Airbus A320.

Mokwena stated this when the carrier on Tuesday honoured leading cargo agents in the Nigerian market in recognition of their outstanding performance during the 2024/2025 financial year at the airline’s customer engagement forum held in Lagos.

Among the guests were Mrs. Alice Katiti, Acting CEO of GHI Assets, the parent company of Skylogistics, SAA’s long-standing cargo sales agent for over two decades and Mr. Donald Adekunle, General Manager: Cargo at Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO).

This initiative reflects SAA Cargo’s commitment to strengthening partnerships and celebrating excellence within its global cargo network.

Addressing the cargo agents, Mokwena expressed his appreciation, stating, “It is encouraging to note that since our last visit to Nigeria, two years ago, the market performance has remained strong. We have had a successful financial year, and the first quarter has started on a positive trajectory, thanks to your continued support.

“The Lagos route now contributes approximately 24% to SAA Cargo’s overall business, making it a vital component of our global network. We sincerely thank you for your partnership and commitment.”

SAA has expanded significantly since restarting operations with just six routes in September 2021.

The network now includes 17 routes, with further expansion planned. Notably, direct flights from Cape Town to Mauritius will be introduced starting in December 2025, enhancing connectivity and cargo opportunities.

Mokwena added, “We are addressing future demand for Lagos and exploring options to increase frequency. As soon as we have additional aircraft, SAA aims to introduce a daily service as demand grows.”

Nontobeko Mohube, SAA Cargo’s Regional Africa Sales Specialist, commended the Nigerian cargo agents for their 100% compliance with operational standards, particularly in cargo declaration and packaging.

She noted that the high level of professionalism has ensured safe and seamless operations, with no reported issues.

The cargo agents raised concerns regarding the absence of direct services to Europe. In response, Mokwena reaffirmed the airline’s commitment to strategic and sustainable growth. He noted that while SAA is expanding cautiously, plans to reinstate direct European routes are actively underway.

SAA has established strategic Interline partnerships with several international carriers. These collaborations enable the seamless movement of cargo between Europe and Africa, including access to key destinations such as Amsterdam, ensuring continued service and connectivity for customers in the region.

Mrs. Kemi Leke-Bamtefa, SAA’s Country Manager, expressed gratitude to the agents for their exceptional performance during the 2024/2025 financial year.

She emphasised that the Customer Engagement Forum was organised to formally recognise and appreciate their contributions.

To this end, awards were presented to the top eight cargo agents.  DHL emerged as the top Platinum Agent of the year, closely followed by Yomex, Bashod and Adayok in positions 2^nd to 4^th, respectively.

Mr. Sulyman Akinwande, General Manager for Sky Logistics Cargo Limited, thanked the agents for their continued support and cooperation and encouraged them to double their efforts in growing the business so as to be able to meet the demand for increased flights.

Others in the Gold Award Category were Say Mighty, Samwise, Passmark, and Pelujo cargo agents, coming in positions 5^th to 8^th, respectively.

Wole Shadare