Navigating the Surge: Strategies for Thriving in Africa's Cargo Expansion

With e-commerce booming across Africa and customary shipping routes facing disruptions, cargo airlines are at a crucial crossroads: adapt or fall behind. Magma Aviation has risen to the occasion by shifting from a basic transport service to a strategic air cargo expert. With over ten years of experience on the continent, they’ve navigated various changes in global logistics with agility.

“The air cargo sector can’t just focus on moving items from one place to another anymore,” says Peter Kerins, CEO of magma Aviation. “Today’s clients demand flexibility, foresight, and strong partnerships to manage increasingly urgent and valuable shipments globally.”

Building an adaptable fleet for evolving needs

The resilience of the air cargo market amidst geopolitical challenges is remarkable. As a notable example, January 2024 saw a 3.2% increase in overall demand compared to last year—marking 18 months of continuous growth! african airlines have particularly excelled with an impressive 8.5% rise in air freight demand last year alone. with ongoing investments in technology and infrastructure, Africa’s future looks promising.

Magma recognized that supply chains are no longer linear; hence they made a smart move by diversifying their fleet. In 2024, they added narrow-body aircraft alongside their existing wide-body options.

“As supply chains grow more unpredictable daily, businesses need air cargo partners who can swiftly respond to disruptions,” Kerins explains. “Our mixed fleet strategy allows us to quickly adjust based on volume fluctuations or specific route demands—whether it’s for large charters or regional flights with tight timelines.”

Magma already boasts a solid presence across Africa while maintaining strong connections along Asia-EU and EU-US trade routes—providing them with the necessary flexibility for market adjustments. Although current trade tensions haven’t considerably impacted their core network yet,magma stays vigilant about optimizing routes through various gateways as needed.

Diving into digital solutions for efficiency

The company’s approach towards navigating market volatility heavily relies on technology advancements. A standout initiative involves digitizing aircraft availability data which streamlines capacity requests for partners and freight forwarders alike while smoothing out booking processes.

Magma is also ramping up its social media engagement by sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses into operations while interacting directly with customers through useful content that reflects industry shifts. p>The surge in e-commerce plays a significant role here—not only major players like Amazon but also local platforms such as Jumia are scaling up operations rapidly due to rising mobile shopping trends among African consumers.“We need reliable air cargo providers who can swiftly transport high-end products,” notes Kerins. p>Navigating regulatory hurdles within African markets p>Navigating international regulations can be quite challenging for global logistics firms operating across multiple jurisdictions; thus Magma has assembled an international team adept at handling these complexities efficiently.one key duty includes ensuring compliance with: p>