Cargolux grows market presence in Africa
Cargolux Airlines is set to introduce two new destinations in Africa, Douala in Cameroon and Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Services to Lubumbashi will begin on 15 September while Douala is served as of 3 October.
Flights to Lubumbashi leave Luxembourg every Friday evening, arriving in the DRC on Saturday mornings at 05:25. The return flight is routed via Johannesburg, Nairobi and also serves Stansted in the UK. It arrives in Luxembourg on Sundays at 13:25 (all time local times).
Douala services depart from Luxembourg every Wednesday at 16:15 and are routed via Bamako. They arrive in Cameroon on Thursdays at 01:55. The return flight arrives back in Luxembourg on Thursdays at 10.55. Lubumbashi is the DRC’s second largest city after the capital Kinshasa and acts as a hub for the country’s mining industry. The city is an important commercial and industrial center and produces textiles, food and beverages and copper smelting, as well as giving home to one of the country’s largest banks. It is estimated that Lubumbashi produces over 3% of the world’s copper and half of its cobalt.
Douala is Cameroon’s largest city and home to Central Africa’s biggest port. It is the country’s economic and commercial capital, handling most of its exports that include oil, cocoa, coffee, fruits, metal and timber. European countries are the major export and import partners for Cameroon, followed by Asia.
Cargolux sees promising potential for growth in the region. With its own road feeder services, the company is also able to offer fast and efficient connections to Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital and second largest city. Import commodities for Cargolux include hi-tech goods, agricultural products and machinery, while export shipments are mainly perishables; fruit and vegetables for European consumers.
Douala and Lubumbashi are added to Cargolux’s existing 33 destinations on the African continent. This extensive network has a long-standing history and Cargolux enjoys the continued loyalty and support of forwarders and shippers in this market. The carrier is a proven expert in a range of diverse shipments, from perishables, fruit and flowers to heavy machinery for the oil and gas industry on the continent.
‘Africa has always been and will always be an important market for Cargolux and we are happy to be able to support the continent’s trade lanes to Europe, the United States and Asia as well as across the Cargolux network worldwide’, says Jonathan Clark, Cargolux Regional Director Africa.