Isaura Daniel*
isaura.daniel@anba.com.br
São Paulo – Brazil has expanded by 60% aerial exports to the Arab nations. Shipment of products by air rose from 2,200 tonnes in 2006 to 3,400 tonnes last year. To the United Arab Emirates, a country to which Brazil got a direct flight in October, shipments have grown even more, 169%, from 771.2 tonnes to 2,000 tonnes. "It was already expected for this to happen," stated Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce president Antonio Sarkis Jr.
In terms of values, exports by air to the Emirates grew 127% between 2006 and 2007, from US$ 22 million to US$ 52 million. Aerial shipments to the League of Arab States, in turn, posted a slight reduction, 4%, from US$ 421 million to US$ 404 million. The president at the Chamber believes that the growth in volume above the growth in revenues is due to the inclusion of lower value-added products in air shipment in recent months. This may have happened due to the greater availability of aerial transport, with the inauguration of the direct Emirates flight between São Paulo and Dubai, in October.
The direct route, according to Sarkis, also favoured the shipment of some products, like fruit and flowers, which need fast travel as they are perishable, and also helped sectors like the machinery and equipment industry, for example, to send replacement parts in a more agile manner. In fact, in the last quarter of 2007, after the opening of the flight, there was growth of 109% in airfreight between Brazil and the Emirates as against the same period in 2006 in terms of value. In terms of volume, the increase was 74%. Also to the League of Arab States there has been expressive growth in aerial exports, 45% in terms of volume and 159% in value.
According to the vice president at the Brazilian Foreign Trade Association (AEB), José Augusto de Castro, airfreight to the Arab countries grew due to the lack of easy logistics to the region, via sea, for example. According to Castro, airfreight is between six and seven times more expensive than sea freight. The vice president at the AEB believes that air shipments, in cases of emergency, may have included products that generally go by sea. He recalls that there is lack of vessels due to the high demand for commodities.
Normally, says Castro, airfreight is used for greater value-added products, like jewellery or even more expensive shoes. "Some perishable goods, like fillet, according to the price of the product, may also go that way (by air)," stated the vice president at AEB. Castro believes that the new Emirates air route, which leaves São Paulo six times a week, may also be stimulating air freight. Airfreight was responsible for 0.018% of all Brazilian shipments to the Arab world in 2007, but to 5.8% in terms of values. To the Emirates, 0.10% of products were shipped by air. Airfreight answered to 4,3% of the value traded between Brazil and the Arab country last year.
The Emirates flights have a capacity to transport 12 tonnes of cargo, as well as passengers. The company operating in the sector, in partnership with Emirates, is SkyCargo, which belongs to the same group as the airline. Before inauguration of the direct flight, SkyCargo shipped products to the Arab market through other airlines, which took the products to Europe, where they were shipped onto Emirates aeroplanes headed to the Arab world.
*Translated by Mark Ament
