Aero Africa is embarking on an expansion journey in China and the United Arab Emirates or UAE with the launch of a new sea-air freight service connecting Asia to 70 African destinations via Dubai.

The air cargo management group claims the new multimodal sea-air solution is faster than sea freight and more economical than air freight with up to 50 percent less CO2 emissions

Overseen by a single combined transport document or CTD, the solution will see shipments delivered to the origin container freight station (CFS) in Asia. Cargo will then be sent via ship (FCL) to Jebel Ali port in the UAE and then offloaded and transferred to DXB/DWC airport, before being transported by air to the final destination in Africa.

A CTD is a single non-negotiable document that combines airway bill and bill of lading into one cohesive document. The document is governed by Standard Conditions (1997) of the FIATA Multimodal Transport Waybill.

Aero Africa said its Dubai hub will be highly strategic in terms of time, transport, infrastructure facilities and storage costs. The new product is expected to provide specific benefits to regional economies, airlines, airports, seaports, shipping companies, forwarders, importers, and exporters

Joey Xu, Director Airfreight China, said the new solution will allow freight forwarders and their clients to avoid congested shipping lanes with long transit time (particularly to land-locked African countries and West Africa) and manage efficiently complex supply chain lead times and utilize strong pre-booked cargo capacity and BSAs ex Dubai to Africa.

“SAS estimated transit times from Asia to Africa range from 17-25 days depending on the origin and destination, while we only offer direct ocean carrier FCL services to Jebel Ali with weekly departures, and we maintain full control of cargo and capacity with our own service centers in China, UAE, and Africa,” she added.