Astral’s Gadhia on African market, fleet growth

In this week’s episode of the “Cargo Facts Connect” podcast, hear from Astral Aviation founder and Chief Executive Sanjeev Gadhia at the Dubai Airshow.Astral’s own-operated and wet-leased freighters fly within, into and out of Africa. The performance of the trade lanes has been mixed this year, Gadhia said.“The intra-Africa market, I would say, compared to 2022 has actually grown by about 5%,” he said. “But next year, we’re expecting double-digit growth. And we’re very confident about the long-term growth of the intra-Africa market. Having said that, the market to and from Africa has not done very well, unfortunately. Some of the key markets, such as South Africa, have actually experienced overcapacity, which has resulted in lower yields.”Astral began flying its first 767-200BDSF in early 2021. That aircraft is on lease from CAM, from which Astral also expects to lease its first 767-300F in 2024.“The 767-300 is a very important part of our strategic fleet expansion,” Gadhia said. “And it will actually enable us to also look at operating into new markets which the 767-200 is not able to.”Meanwhile, Astral is on track to receive its first E190F conversion in 2024 and is considering 777-300ER freighters.Tune in to this week’s podcast as Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee talks to Gadhia at the Dubai Airshow.