Swissport expands LATAM Cargo operations across South Africa

Swissport has started supporting LATAM Cargo’s operations at Cape Town and Johannesburg, connecting South Africa with São Paulo in Brazil.

The inaugural flights were handled safely, efficiently and on time following months of close planning and collaboration between the teams. Swissport’s teams in Cape Town and Johannesburg will continue to combine local cargo expertise with global standards to support LATAM Cargo’s operations.

The move comes as Swissport continues to expand its cargo and aviation services across Africa and other international markets.

In August, Swissport opened a 630-square-metre temperature-controlled cargo facility at Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania. The facility has an annual handling capacity of up to 13,000 tonnes and is designed to handle temperature-sensitive cargo including flowers, fresh produce, seafood, meat and pharmaceuticals.

Swissport also expanded its presence in Saudi Arabia through a five-year partnership with flynas. Under the agreement, Swissport Saudi Arabia will become flynas’ exclusive ground handling partner across its network in the Kingdom. Flynas will also acquire a 10% stake in Swissport Saudi Arabia, with an option to increase its holding to 20%.

More recently, Swissport and Etihad Airways agreed to expand their global ground handling and cargo partnership from 30 to 40 airports across Africa, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia. The agreement covers ground handling and cargo services, with scope to expand into airport hospitality.

Swissport’s African network currently covers 29 airports in six countries, with 17 warehouses supporting cargo operations, including cold-chain handling for time- and temperature-sensitive shipments.

For LATAM Cargo, Swissport’s Cape Town and Johannesburg teams will continue to support its cargo operations between South Africa and São Paulo, with the focus on safe, reliable and consistent handling across both locations.